


One Little Change

by Quinis



Category: Batman - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen, Jason doesn't die, word prompts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-19
Updated: 2015-12-01
Packaged: 2018-04-05 03:33:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 33
Words: 74,665
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4164144
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Quinis/pseuds/Quinis
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In this AU, Jason didn't die in the warehouse. Instead, he managed to escape right before the blast went off. Beaten, bruised and closer to dead than alive, Jason is brought home. <br/> That one little change sparks a few more.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [CaraLee](https://archiveofourown.org/users/CaraLee/gifts).



> Notes: Once again, I asked CaraLee for some prompts. This time, I also asked for some AUs. This was the first. An AU where Jason didn't die. In this AU, Jason doesn't die from the Joker attack (let's say the door was unlocked and they got out before the bomb blew up). Jay's mum probably ended up in prison but this AU isn't really focusing on what happened to her. Bruce took Jason back home to recover and this covers the changed events after that. Some things are different and some things stay the same.

**One Little Change**

**Orange**

Jason was out patrolling when he saw it. A flash of orange. Behind him. On the fire escape. He hid and backtracked. For a few moments, he didn't see anything. Then, there it was again. A flash of orange. He snuck over, getting closer and closer to what began to resemble a dancing light.

His eyes widened as the dark figure of a kid, no a teenager, appeared in the shadows. A teen with a camera pointed to the sky. As Jason watched, the teen smiled and looked at the screen of the camera, at the picture he had taken.

Robin's colours flashed on the screen.

"He's back." And the teen sounded so relieved and breathless that Jason couldn't help being interested. He hadn't thought that ordinary citizens of Gotham would miss him.

If he had died in the warehouse, what would have happened to Robin? To the people in Gotham who looked to the signal in the sky for protection? He had been so stupid.

"Hey," he said, purposely softening his voice as he let the teenager know he was there.

The teenager flinched and held his camera close to himself as he curled up. Jason wasn't stupid, he could see the taunt readiness in his body. If Jason stepped closer, then the teenager wouldn't hesitate to kick at him.

"Robin?" the teen questioned in surprise.

* * *

**Shirt**

Bruce wanted to trick the Joker into thinking that Jason had died. Bruce wanted to beat the Joker as the Joker beat Jason.

Jason watched as the mission and the father warred against each other. It hurt to see Bruce falling apart. He had no idea what to do.

Batman left to get the clown and came back empty handed. Jason insisted that the helicopter blast must have killed him but Bruce thought otherwise.

They didn't fight about it. What they did fight about was how Bruce was confining Jason to the manor. Jason was being home-schooled now and he couldn't even go out as Robin. Bruce and Alfred had deemed him too injured during those first few months.

It probably would have continued like that until someone (Jason) exploded. If it hadn't been for Nightwing.

Nightwing had been off-world. He had returned to the speculation of Robin's death and a 'status unknown' on Jason's profile, even after overriding Bruce's protection.

He thought Jason had died. The evidence suggested as much. And he had rushed to the cave with a little voice whispering in his head that his Little Wing was gone.

Nightwing had broken down when he saw Jason, battered but alive.

What Jason remembered of the moment was the strong grip on the back of his shirt, the tears soaking the front and the light trembles running through Dick's body.

Dick didn't let him go and Jason was forced to wonder what things would have been light if he had died. What he came up with was not pretty.

* * *

**Quilt**

Jason's body was a patchwork of scars. One side of him was almost segregated from the rest by a scar which traced down his back, over his shoulder and down his front. For that reason, he didn't take his shirt off around people he wasn't comfortable around.

Bruce still fondly remembers the time Tim accidentally opened the door to Jason's room when Jason had his shirt off.

Jason had grabbed the colourful quilt which had been in the room longer than he had and used it cover his body, like a cocoon with Jason's head. Quite adorable behaviour from the tough, growing teen.

"I-I-I'm sorry!" Tim had gasped, slamming the door shut and running downstairs.

* * *

**Valley**

Tim wandered around the small grassy hill-like area around Wayne Manor. He had climbed over the fence and now only had to find the manor.

"Ugh, I need a map," he complained as he slid down the hill. An expanse of trees awaited him. "Jason!" he called out, not really expecting an answer but hoping for one. When none came, as expected, Tim sighed and continued his trek towards Wayne Manor.

He reached it an hour later, having mentally mapped the path himself. He rang the doorbell and waited. He felt tiny standing before the large doors which could fit four of him across and were twice his size.

"Master Timothy?" Alfred questioned when he saw who was standing on the step with muddy shoes and looking tired.

"Good Evening, Alfred. Jason hasn't left for the evening, has he?"

"Not yet. I insist on meals before gallivanting across Gotham in an attempt to save the city from itself."

"Oh, okay. Cool. I can wait." Tim couldn't help the small amount of disappointment which entered his voice.

"Nonsense, Master Tim. Join us for dinner."

Tim smiled and crossed the threshold.

Jason gaped when he saw him.

"Please don't tell me you walked all the way here!"

"I said I would, didn't I?"

Jason hit his head against the table, to Bruce's amusement and Alfred's worry.

"I offered to pick you up. On Robin's bike too."

"But, what if someone needed your help? You wouldn't be able to help them with me tagging along."

Jason frowned and disagreed but Tim wasn't having any of it. He continued to counter Jason's points with logic until Bruce spoke up.

"Why don't you two train together? Then you won't hold him back," he said to Tim.

"Yes!" Jason agreed before Tim could disagree.

* * *

**Onion**

Tim looked around the grocery store. He often didn't come in here but Jason and Bruce had been so nice to him that he wanted to bring a gift when he visited. That's what you did when you visited other people's homes, right?

He sighed and hung his head. Sometimes he really disliked how little time he had devoted to learning social interactions outside of gatherings of Gotham's higher class.

While walking across the carpark, a teenager around Jason's age jumped out from behind a car and grabbed his bag.

"Hey!" Tim cried out, holding on with all his might as the other teen pulled. Tim noticed the gang symbol tattooed onto his arm and wondered whether he should just let go.

"Stupid brat!" the gang teen growled, pulling Tim towards him.

Out of nowhere, an onion came flying and whacked into the gang teen's head.

"If you want food, I know the address of a good soup kitchen. However, if you're attempting to make a menace of yourself, I ask that you take such childish behaviour elsewhere." Tim blinked at the familiar British lilt as the teenager flinched and bolted.

"Are you alright, Timothy?" Alfred asked.

"Yeah. Thanks, Alfred. But, what are you doing here?"

Alfred motioned towards the bag he was carrying.

"Master Jason requested that I pick up some things for tonight. He's very excited about it." Tim felt his face flush and his hand gripped his bag tighter. Alfred went on, "would you like a lift, Master Tim?"

Tim nodded. He was wearing his backpack which held his clothes for that night. He had picked them out with Jason's sleepover in mind.

"Thank you, Alfred."

* * *

**Golf**

Jason swung the broom. It connected with a ball he had placed on the ground. The ball flew through the air, missing the basket Tim had placed on the ground and bouncing off the TV screen before knocking into a vase.

It landed perfectly in the bottom of the vase, the only jagged part of the vase which remained whole after it crashed.

"Hole!" Jason declared, holding his arms up in victory. Best trick shot ever!

Tim stared at him with wide eyes.

"Jason," Bruce growled.

"Now, Tim, allow me to teach you the skill of escaping from an enraged bat," Jason said as he bolted out the window.

* * *

**Store**

Tim looked through the bookstore window. He could see a tall teenager standing by the bookshelves, head buried in a book.

He squinted. It looked like Jason. He went inside.

"Jason?"

Jason jumped and slammed the book shut, giving Tim a look at the title.

"'The Odyssey'?"

"Um, yeah," Jason stammered, rubbing the back of his neck. "I've been wanting to read it for a while and I just finished working my way through Shakespeare's works on Alfred's recommendation and… it's kind of stupid, isn't it?" Tim shook his head but Jason ignored it. "I mean, no kid I know reads these books but I like them and-"

"There's nothing wrong with that!" Tim said strongly. "They're classics!"

"'Classic' is just another word for 'boring'," Jason snorted.

Tim raised an eyebrow. Then he snatched the book from Jason.

"Hey! What are you doing?"

"Buying it for you."

"What? No, stop,  _why_?"

Tim just laughed and ignored Jason's protests as he bought the book.

* * *

**Bowl**

Jason was visiting the Teen Titans. Five minutes in and he already wanted to ditch these guys and go back to Gotham.

"Why are you wearing a bowl on your head?" he asked Kid Flash, also known as Wally West.

"Listen to my voice, doesn't it sound cool?" Kid Flash said. The red haired speedster didn't seem the least bit embarrassed to be caught running around with a bowl on his head.

"We heard that you can fix tone-deaf singing by placing a bucket on the singer's head," Nigthwing commented, almost giving Robin a heart attack with the way he appeared behind him.

"Roy said it worked!" Kid Flash insisted.

"But we couldn't find a bucket so we used a bowl."

Jason found himself smirking. He didn't know whether it was a joke or not, but he was beginning to see the humour in this.

"Does it?"

Kid Flash slumped and Nightwing snickered.

"Nope."

* * *

**Fur**

Nightwing was sleeping spread on the floor. His face was pressed against the faux fur rug he was sleeping on. Robin took one look and planted himself on the couch, pulling out a book to read.

"Tell me about the kid you recruited," Nightwing suddenly said, rolling over.

"How did you… Bats told you, didn't he?"

Nightwing shrugged, as good as an affirmative answer.

"Just wondering if you're going to begin recruiting kids as 'Robins'." There was no spite in his voice but it was also flat. Nightwing still had trouble interacting with Robin, the kid wearing his name and his colours. But, since Joker's attack which had almost killed Robin (and since Nightwing had thought Robin had been killed), he had been making more of an effort to know Jason. Even though he hadn't been visiting the manor, they talked on the phone more than before and Nightwing also would bring him out to spend slow weekends with the Titans. Like they were now.

"Nah," Robin snorting, leaning back and pushing his unease with the way Nightwing said it to the back of his mind. "But, Tim's pretty cool. We're friends, you know? And he really likes Batman and Robin. Says we're his inspiration and that he always wondered what it would be like to be Robin. You should hear some of the stuff he says. Like how Batman needs a Robin.

"Hey? You think, if I moved on to another name or something, you think Tim would like to be Robin?"

"I dunno," Nightwing responded. "Maybe. You'll have to train him and help him learn how everything works."

"Hm. Maybe he could have his own name? Think the Boss will take on another partner?"

"Doesn't he already have Batgirl as another partner?"

Robin crinkled his nose.

"She doesn't count. The Boss respects her but doesn't work with her unless the situation calls for it. He lets Tim man the computers sometimes."

"You forgot how Batgirl doesn't work with Batman. It's not all Batman not wanting to work together, Batgirl also likes working on her own."

"Is that why she keeps ignoring my requests to patrol together?" Robin questioned. Nightwing heaved himself up into a sitting position.

"What?"

Robin smirked.

"It's not like that," he said, although it was a little like that from his side. He could tell she wasn't interested. "She's cool. Disobeys the Boss and does her own thing, it's inspiring."

"Wrong kind of inspiring, kid," Nightwing pointed out.

* * *

**Spider**

"There's a spider on the console," Tim said quietly. Somehow, the words had been timed to exactly when Jason and Bruce fell silent.

The pair, who had been arguing moments before, turned to look at him in surprise and shock. There had been no fear in Tim's voice and the phrase had sounded like a statement and observation.

Jason thought that was more than a little weird.

"How did a spider get down here?" he asked, turning to look. Then he froze. And swore. "That's huge!" The 'spider' was almost as large as his palm. "Getridofit!"

Tim blinked and gave him a surprised look. All Jason could focus on was the  _giant spider behind him_.

"Ohno ohno, nononono,  _Bruce!_  It's climbing up the screen!" He was manly enough to admit that his voice rose a few octaves as he spoke. Bruce grabbed his wrist before he could let the batarang fly towards the critter.

"You'll damage the computer."

Tim twisted around to look at the spider.

"I can work around it," he said.

Jason shivered in horror and made a face. Bruce sighed.

"I'll get Alfred." Alfred would take care of the spider.

* * *

 **Metal**   **Detector**

They needed a metal detector to find it. A little piece of metal. A Wing-Ding, washed up in the sand.

It was the only thing the Teen Titans could find. The only thing they handed over to Batman and Robin. Nightwing was gone. Vanished into the ocean during a battle and never surfaced.

"They split us up," Donna Troy informed them sadly. "I can only guess that their aim had been Nightwing the whole time."

"He... he can't be gone," Robin said. "He can't be! He's supposed to be the best!"

"He's only missing Robin, he might not be..." Donna trailed off, unable to give voice to her fears.

"We'll be in contact," Batman growled out, seeing the tremble in Robin's shoulders and the way his fists were clenched.

"It was just some no-name crim!" Robin said, almost yelling when they got into the car. "If we question him, beat the answers out of him, then we might be able to find Dick!"

"The criminal is in police custody. We will have to request the chance to question him," Batman growled out. He was pushing all his fears and worries for his eldest behind wall after wall. He couldn't break down now.

To Jason's fury, they refused. Bruce kept him from sneaking back to 'question' the criminal.

"We're not finished yet," he promised.

* * *

**Varnish**

The floors of the police precinct and holding cells were slick and shiny. Jason danced his way past the cameras to the cell which held the criminal who had taken out Nightwing.

Dick hadn't been the best brother. Jason only saw him on the odd times he would return to the manor and even then, Dick was often there to talk 'business' with Bruce.

But, he still had the slip of paper with Dick's number on it and the promise to call if he wanted to talk. He had  _the strong grip on the back of his shirt, the tears soaking the front and the light trembles running through Dick's body_. Dick cared about him and he, in turn, cared about Dick. He couldn't help that.

"Robin," the criminal didn't seem surprised to see him. Gerard Wray was his name. He was twice Dick's age, balding, had a rap sheet going back to when he was fifteen and was out on parole when he attacked Nightwing.

He had voided the terms of his parole in order to get at Nightwing. That burned. It suggested that this had been an intended attack.

The criminal smiled, showing off a few missing teeth among the stained and silver dental work.

"You shouldn't be here. The police denied the Batman's request to question me."

Jason growled, grabbed the lowlife by his shirt and pulled him into the bars.

"I'm not Batman."

The criminal laughed.

"Of course not! Wrong costume, wrong attitude! Listen kid, what did you expect me to do? I had a trained vigilante bearing down on me. What would you have done? It was self-defence! So, yes, I shot the vigilante into the river! I'm going to be remembered as the guy who killed Nightwing!" And then he laughed.

Jason threw up in the garden outside, keeping their vanished floors clean. He had a fleeting thought that maybe the floors were the only clean things here.

* * *

**Picture**

Jason had been surprised one day to find Tim looking at a picture. It had a group of people, three in leotards and three in nicely dressed clothes. Two couples and two kids, the younger one in nice clothes sitting on the older's knee, who was dressed in a leotard and cape.

The people in the picture looked familiar.

"Who are they?" he asked, causing Tim to jump in surprise.

Tim quickly hid the picture behind his back but seemed to reconsider it after a moment.

"It's a picture of one of the happy times," he said, letting Jason see it again. He held it close to him, as if he was afraid it would disappear. "My parents were busy a lot so we didn't spend much time as a family. But, one day they took me to the circus. I was so excited and my parents decided to introduce me to some of the performers…"

"The Flying Graysons!" Jason realised. He had seen this picture before. "Dick has a copy of this!"

"Yes! We sent a copy here after Dick moved in," Tim said and smiled his brilliant smile. Then it faded as he recalled what happened during the performance after the picture. "It's the last picture before they died."

"You were there?" Jason was baffled. It seemed like this kid had been all around.

"It was the first time I saw Batman too. Batman started his investigation right after. He wasn't a monster, he was there to help." There was a quiet pause. "I kind of became obs-interested in Batman and, later, Robin."

"Timmy." Jason reached out and hugged the younger boy.

"I didn't even get to meet him again."

Jason didn't really need a reminder that Dick's disappearance (Jason didn't want to call it a 'death', not when there was no body) was painful. However, it was enough of a reason to continue looking into it.

Jason really wanted Tim to meet Dick. He hoped such a meeting could still happen.

* * *

**Title**

Tim looked down at his outfit. He had worked with Alfred all week, changing red to black, removing the green and making little changes here and there so he would be comfortable.

How had he ended up at this moment? Jason's discovery of his following them had somehow led to his continued presence in the cave. And now he was standing in costume about to join Batman on the streets.

"Ready to go, Red Robin?" Bruce asked.

Tim bit his lip and nodded, giving the expected answer. It would be fine. He had chosen the costume. He had chosen the name. He had trained.

He could do this. He could be Robin. Jason had said he could.

* * *

**Increments**

Jason looked at the board. He was baffled. How had this happened?

"Tim," Bruce sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose.

Tim gave Bruce a truly surprised look.

"Isn't the aim of the game to own everything?" he asked. "That's why it's called 'Monopoly'?"

Piece by piece, Tim had managed to assemble all the coloured properties. Bruce owned the utilities and four transports. Jason had been forced to mortgage and then sell his last property to Tim after he landed on two of the youngest's properties in a row.

"I quit," Jason announced, looking over the board. They had been at this for hours and he had failed to notice the small increments in which Tim had dominated the board.

"You're bust," Bruce corrected, "which means you're out."

"Well, I still quit. And if you were smart, you would do the same."

Bruce raised an eyebrow. Jason flicked his gaze at the board and Tim's overflowing hand.

"Where did Alfred even find this game?" Bruce questioned abstinently as he reached for the dice.

Half an hour later, Tim owned everything. He had a blinding smile as Bruce conceded defeat.

* * *

**Union**

"In my opinion, 'Red Wing' is a silly title," Tim said to Jason, flinching at the glare the other teen shot him. "I know I'm Red Robin and Dick called you Little Wing but combining the two doesn't have the best effect."

"I'm not going to be Robin anymore," Jason grumbled back at him. "You should be happy I made you my replacement."

Tim made a pitiful noise in the back of his throat. Then blushed, hoping Jason hadn't heard him.

"I just don't like this," Tim said. "You're cutting yourself off from Bruce. It's like what Dick did before," Tim paused for a moment, the words 'before he vanished' hanging in the air. "Before he created the Teen Titans."

It was almost a reoccurring pattern. And Tim was very good with patterns.

"Well, do you have any ideas?" Jason asked throwing his hands up in surrender.

Tim thought about it for a moment.

"Red Hood?" Tim suggested. Jason gave him a sceptical look as he explained, "keep the red so we match, I guess. And since I'm Robin, you can be Hood."

"And together we're Robin Hood?" Jason questioned in a flat tone, although his lips twitched in a smile.

Tim rubbed the back of his neck, trying to avoid the mirth in Jason's eyes.

"Yes… sort of. I mean, Batman's a lot like Robin Hood, minus the robbing part."

"There's still a lot of that B&E," Jason pointed out, this idea growing on him. "And there was a gang in Gotham once who called themselves the 'Red Hood'. So the name does have some weight behind it."

"Not the right kind of weight," Tim sighed, looking disappointed. Apparently, he saw this as a reason not to use the name.

"Nah. But so what? We can still work it." Tim blinked at him in surprise. "We can take a criminal name and make it a hero one."

* * *

**Mud**

The officer was covered in mud. Another officer stood before him, gun aimed at his head. Despite his predicament, the dirty officer was glaring up at his co-worker. Defiant.

"Killing me won't solve your problem, Jacks."

"Well I sure ain't going to prison!"

"Jacks, the only way not to go to prison, or  _die!,_  is to get these guys now!" In spite of everything Jason had heard about Bludhaven cops, this guy seemed good. Or stupid. But, Jason had a soft spot for foolishly stupid. "Otherwise, you're just delaying the enviable. Eventually, they'll toss you aside-"

"Shut up!"

Jason swung down and knocked the gunman out in a kick and a punch before he could recover. He heard the dirty officer gasp in relief and checked that he wasn't moving to attack him, that this wasn't staged as a trap, before tying up the gunman.

"You're that guy from Gotham," the officer said, "Red Hood, right?" He slipped on the mud as he stood.

Jason turned and knew that the officer couldn't see his face under the full-face red mask he wore. He expected something about how vigilantism is against the law or about the guy whose face he kicked in the previous week or, maybe, even a thank you.

Instead, the officer asks with a disarming smile, "what brings you to Bludhaven?" He wiped away a strand of short dark hair as he spoke, smearing more dirt across his cheek. 

Jason looked away, at the smoke and factories of the city as he answered.

"Lookin' for someone."

"In Bludhaven?" the officer sounded surprised.

Jason nodded.

"Well… I guess that's what we're here for!" the officer said with a smile. "Come down to the prescient and we'll help you out!"

Jason blinked and looked down at his uniform. He was wearing his jacket open and there was a red bat plastered across his chest. He felt for his helmet and it was still there.

"Um… Red Hood… going to the police… to help find someone?"

"Why not? Everyone needs help." The officer paused and seemed to notice how uncomfortable Jason looked. His bottom lip stuck out as his lips turned down. "Did I say something weird again?"

Jason's mind stuttered. This officer was nice and, while it probably would lead to more nights like tonight, he didn't want to mess with that. This person was good.

"No. It's fine," he said. "I want to try and find him myself first."

The officer didn't look convinced but he nodded and thanked Red Hood for the help as Jason disappeared.

* * *

**Bank**

Dick looked at his savings and bit back a sigh of disappointment. He could pay his rent and could cover most of his food expenses, which was more than what he had when he came to this town. Still, barely scraping by wasn't good in the long run.

He came out of the bank and smiled at the kids playing around his car.

"Hey, guys!" he called with a smile and a wave. The first time this happened, they had scrambled for places unknown since Dick wasn't in the mood to track them down.

"Hi!"

"Officer G!"

"Hey, hey, can you turn the siren on!"

"Sorry!" he sing-songed, "can't turn the siren on, someone will get the wrong idea. Besides, I could lose my job. Or the car. And then you guys wouldn't be able to play on it when I'm not looking."

Dick talked with the kids for a bit and then sent them on their way. He gave the bank once last glance before getting into the car and driving back to the station.

There was no good news there. Red Hood had left them some criminals on their doorstep.

Dick had to sit there and listen to a rant about how Gotham didn't need people who took the law into their own hands and that the Red Hood was now on their priority list.

Anyone who saw him was to arrest him.

"Back from the bank?" Amy asked him as he slipped into his chair.

"Yeah," he responded, wincing a little as the letters danced on the page. He had been looking at too many letters and numbers lately.

"You okay?"

"Fine."

"Good. You'll need to be."

He looked up and noticed the worried expression she was giving him.

"What's wrong?"

"News of Red Hood's little rescue have gotten around. Dick, it might not be safe for you here."

Dick rolled his eyes. That was Bludhaven in a nutshell.

"Jacks is in prison in Gotham and Red Hood was there and gone in moments. It was just a coincidence." There was a pause and Dick reminded her, "and it's not like I have anywhere else to go."

Amy frowned but nodded. She knew his story. Somehow, Dick had ended up in hospital with a bullet wound to the chest and some kind of brain infection due to bacteria in water. He had made an almost complete recovery, except he didn't have any memories other than his name which he wasn't even certain was his name.

Bludhaven was the kind of place which didn't question the backgrounds of those going into police training as much as they should. Amy wasn't one to complain. Dick was honest and worked hard.

She just worried that those traits would get him killed.

* * *

**Sword**

Officer Grayson might not have many memories but he was far from ignorant. He knew the signs of someone breaking into his apartment.

Then again, being in the apartment for three seconds and having someone speak to him was a dead giveaway.

"What do you think you're doing?" the voice yelled at him. He pulled out his gun and twisted around. Red Hood, minus the hood, had dropped between him and the door.

Dick stared at the hood-less face for a moment. The Red Hood was young. Probably not even out of his teenage years. His hair was black and his eyes were covered by the red mask he wore.

He was also brandishing a knife like it was a sword.

"Excuse me?" Dick questioned, "I'm not the vigilante who broke into a cop's apartment. What do you think you're doing?"

The top of the mask went up as eyebrows went up. Red Hood was surprised. Mouth widening to an 'o' and eyebrows going down. Moments later, he was sporting a small frown.

He was upset. Dick took a risk and lowered his gun.

"Are you here to take me up on the offer of helping you find that guy you were after?"

The knife was lowered.

"What?"

"You said you came here looking for someone. Did you want my help?"

Red Hood went back to looking surprised.

"You're Dick Grayson of the BPD, right?" Dick nodded. "And is Dick short for something?"

Dick tilted his head.

"Not that I know of. People tell me it's short for Richard but…" he trailed off with a shrug. Almost complete loss of memories wasn't something easy to explain. People didn't really understand.

Dick didn't feel like any less of a person. It didn't feel like he was missing anything. He was building a life for himself, which he had found most people in Bludhaven were trying to do anyway. He didn't have any regrets.

Perhaps that's what people found sad about him; he didn't know what he was missing so he didn't care about the missing pieces of his past.

Bafflingly enough, Red Hood chose to respond with, "you've cut your hair."

"I, what?" A hand automatically ran through his short locks. He had always had his hair this length. "What are you talking about?" He took a step away from the vigilante. Maybe the Chief was right about these people being unhinged and crazy.

"Dick?" Red Hood reached up and removed his mask.

Dick's eyes widened and he turned away, trying to forget the flash of blue he saw before he averted his eyes.

"What? Dick?" The worry in his voice made Dick hesitate but he knew he couldn't look.

"I'm sorry!" he cried out, partly from surprise and partly from guilt, "I'm supposed to arrest you. That's what we were told to do. But, I won't do it. And I don't want to know who you are in case they figure out that we've been talking." He didn't want to say who 'they' were because 'they' could be anyone. The police, the gangsters or the mob.

"Oi! Look at me! Tell me if you know who I am!"

Dick flinched as strong arms grabbed his. He automatically twisted to face Red Hood.

"Wow, you're just taller than me," he mused. It bugged him a little that this guy, younger than him, was probably going to end up much taller than him.

Plus, he didn't seem to be listening to a word Dick was saying.

"Focus. Do you know who I am?"

Dick frowned an annoyed frown. He was focusing. He could probably describe Red Hood's face down to the slight curl of stubble around the sides of his chin.

Kid needed to shave.

"You're the Red Hood," He regretted the bite to his words when Red Hood's green eyes bulged and he stumbled back. His arms were still outstretched, like he expected something else from Dick.

"Dick? Tell me this is a joke."

A joke? Dick couldn't shake the thought that he was being messed with. He had been honest and open and this Red Hood wouldn't answer his questions even though he attempted to answer his almost nonsensical inquiries.

He wanted the teen to stop looking so shocked that he didn't want to play his hero game 'properly'.

"Okay, you're really starting to annoy me. You come in here with a knife, ignore my offer of help and then start asking me questions?" Dick scolded, "not to mention, you've put me in danger, now that I've seen your face. I could describe you to anyone now. Even people out for your blood. Does Batman endorse that kind of rash action? Just explain what you're doing here."

Red Hood blinked.

"M-maybe I made a mistake," he stammered. And then he was gone.

Dick froze, hand reached out to stop the vigilante and lips parted as if he had been about to say something. He just had no idea what.


	2. Red Hood moves to the 'Haven

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Notes: I've posted the usernames of the people who provided the word prompts in brackets because I went and mixed up the order a bit, finding the prompts which took my fancy first. I also think I'm going to do 10 words per chapter (depending on how long the responses are, if they're short, there may be more than 10). Anyway, here's the next part (guess what happens :D ).

**Red Hood moves to the 'Haven**

* * *

**Kennel (** CaraLee **)**

Red Hood tilted his head, trying to see if he could better hear the sound in the distance. It sounded like dogs. Lots of dogs. Barking away.

He jumped across rooftops until he reached the source of the noise. The Gotham pound.

"Well, that explains it," he decided, turning around and deciding to patrol away from the noise. But, then he caught a glimpse of something out of the corner of his eye.

A flash of red and black.

"Robin?" he questioned, landing beside the other Gotham vigilante.

Red Robin jumped and breathed a sigh of relief when he spotted Red Hood.

"It's just you."

"Oh, thanks."

Red Robin's ears turned pink, the only sign of discomfort he would show.

"That's not what I meant."

Red Hood laughed and punched his brother in the arm.

"I know that! Now, what are you doing outside the animal kennels?"

"Batman went in ten minutes ago. He hasn't come out."

"Ten minutes?" Red Hood checked. Red Robin nodded. "Alright, Red 2, we're going in."

* * *

 **Machine (** CaraLee **)**

"Hey, Dick!" Clancy greeted him as he walked out of his apartment after hibernating on his day off.

"Clancy!" he responded, giving her a hug. Clancy was the best. She had helped him a lot during his first few months in Bludhaven. In contrast to her short stature, straight dark hair and almond eyes, her voice had a distinct Irish lit. A memento of her upbringing.

"Hey, Dick. Are you any good with machines?"

"Machines?"

"Cars specifically. The new resident has a beaten down truck which is parked right outside, causing a bit of trouble. The silly thing's broken down. I'd fix it but I've got to rush off." Dick raised an eyebrow and she smirked in response. "I've already promised a friend I'd meet her."

"Well, we can't have her waiting by herself," Dick decided. "I guess I'll see what I can do."

"Thanks! This one might be a keeper, he's better than you at paying rent."

"Better?"

"Well, I didn't have to wait a few months while he worked up the first few months' rent at Hogan's Bar."

"Ouch. You wound me."

Dick smiled and waved as Clancy ran off. She never stopped working, that woman. Then he went out to see this 'beaten down truck'. The paint was a pale pink, a far cry from the red it probably had been at production and the paint was flecking everywhere. There were a few well-placed dents and a small crack in the back wind-shield.

But it wasn't that which made Dick stop and regret saying he would help. It was the dark haired young adult standing in front of the truck, staring at him in surprise.

"Uh, hi?" he said with a wave.

Dick closed his eyes, counted to three and opened them.

Nope. The Red Hood was still there, in civilian clothes and looking to move into his apartment building.

"Let's just get this fixed," Dick said, moving around to the front of the truck. "Although, if this isn't really broken, better tell me now before I waste my morning off."

"Uh, no. Something's certainly gone wrong," the Red Hood said.

Dick rolled up his sleeves and looked at the open hood.

"Let's get started then."

* * *

 **Zorro** (Ki-Chan Riker)

"I've seen this movie," Tim sighed, sinking into the couch with one of Alfred's strawberry milkshakes in his hands.

"Yeah, well, it's movie night and Bruce got to pick," Jason said, reaching over and grabbing the whole popcorn bowl.

"Yeah, but what's the point if he's not going to turn up?" Tim frowned, staring at his drink like it held the secrets to his current case.

Jason had to agree. Bruce had been down in the Batcave all day, working on something.

"Master Bruce will be here. Master Jason's declaration to move to Bludhaven has given the master a fright."

"That's a tactful way of putting it," Tim snorted. He looked at Jason as he added, "you're crazy, you know that? Who chooses to move to Bludhaven?"

"Me. After all the 'Haven needs a hero, just like Gotham needed the Batman. Besides, it's not that far. I've modified my bike and can cut the regular commute almost in half."

"That's insane," Tim stated.

"I do wish you would reconsider, Master Jason. Master Bruce hasn't recovered after the unfortunate events surrounding Master Dick."

Jason looked at the carpet in front of him. 'Unfortunate events' indeed. Although the family still believed Dick Grayson missing, Jason knew the man was alive and in Bludhaven. Dick just didn't remember them, which was why he hadn't brought it up before now.

If he knew, Bruce would probably storm into Bludhaven and upend Dick Grayson's current life for a life he didn't remember. And that would end badly.

"Did I miss the start of the movie?" Bruce asked tiredly as he wandered in.

"No. We're just about to start," Tim responded. Bruce nodded and dropped into a seat, smiling tiredly as Zorro began to play on the screen.

Bruce fell asleep on the couch while Tim's head drooped onto Jason's shoulder.

* * *

 **Grass (** CaraLee **)**

Dick tripped over the leg of one of his fellow officers, heading head over heels towards the ground.

His heart thudded, his thoughts stilled and his body reacted. A hand flew out, planting itself in the grass. His body twirled and flipped while his hand rolled with the movement. He handed safely on his feet, breathing a sigh of relief. He didn't think he knew how to clean grass stains off his uniform.

There were surprised and shocked gasps around him. Dick looked around, confused.

What had he done now?

"Where'd you learn that, Rookie?" a senior officer sneered.

"Uh… I… don't know, sir?" Dick responded.

Before the officer could say anything more, Amy came running out.

"Oi, Grayson!" she growled. "Paperwork! Now!"

Dick smiled and looked around.

"Opps," he said, playing up the lazy idiot act. "Gotta go, guys!"

Back inside, Dick thanked her for bailing him out.

"You're really walking a thin line, Grayson," she warned him.

He knew that.

* * *

 **Tax (** CaraLee **)**

"Call it a 'welcome to the neighbourhood tax'."

Dick frowned when he heard the voice. It was familiar. He had arrested the guy a few days ago on extortion charges. Yet, here he was. Doing it again.

Dick hated extortion. He was about to round the corner and, off-duty or not, he was going to arrest the guy, again, when another voice responded.

"Yeah? What if I don't want to feel welcome?"

Red Hood. Dick should have realised. He was new to the neighbourhood.

"Then you'll find a new address at the hospital."

"Uh-huh." And a moment later there was the scuffling sound of fighting which ended with the sound of something hard hitting skin.

Dick rounded the corner to find Red Hood, minus hood, standing above a big bodybuilder of a guy.

"How hard did you hit him?" he questioned in exasperation.

Red Hood tilted his head, eyes drifting upwards for a moment, connecting what he saw of Dick now to something in his memories.

Dick wasn't stupid. He knew that his missing past has some kind of connection to the Red Hood. However, he wasn't interested.

"Hard enough. You heard what he was saying."

"How-?"

Red Hood smirked and before Dick could finish his question answered, "you just confirmed it, Eavesdropper Grayson."

"Oh."

"So, how was work?" Red Hood asked, following Dick as he walked away.

"Fine."

"Arrest any bad guys?"

"None of your business."

"Come on! I want cop stories!"

Dick stopped, pivoted around and glared across at Red Hood. He opened his mouth, about to scold the vigilante for using him as a gullible information source when he was interrupted by a familiar Irish lit calling their names.

"Dick, Jason! Good evenin'!"

"Good evenin', Boss-lady!" Red Hood,  _Jason?,_  responded with a wave.

"Uh… yeah. Evening, Clancy."

She gave him a curious look before nodding and moving of with her tool kit.

"So, Jason?" Dick questioned, turning to look at Red Hood.

"Yes?"

"Do I need to ask if that is your real name?" He actually felt a little guilty when he saw the hurt shock on Jason's face. 'But… you…' His lips mouthed the words before realisation hit.

"Oh… yeah. It's my real name. As real as you can get as a street kid in Gotham."

"A street kid?" Dick questioned.

Jason smirked at him and started telling him the story of about a street kid in Gotham who stole the tires off the Batmobile and was taken in by Batman because of it.

Dick noticed that Jason didn't mention who Batman was and was glad for it.

* * *

 **Headline (** CaraLee **)**

Dick groaned at the headline. He was certain that little brat was smiling over it. ' _Red Hood in Bludhaven?'_ it questioned, as if there was any question. The police outright confirmed his existence, painting him out to be a murder and a drug dealer and borderline psychotic. They announced that they would not pretend that such men were not roaming the streets like other police departments; a subtle stab at Commissioner Gordon in Gotham who didn't comment on Batman's existence.

Dick felt annoyed about that. He liked Commissioner Gordon. The man turned a new leaf over in Gotham, turning the police into a force which could be trusted and not feared.

Yet, in Bludhaven, Red Hood was on the top of their wanted list, while men like Blockbuster walked the streets.

"Little brat's going to get himself killed," he muttered. It worried Dick how that thought actually hurt. Made him think that maybe he did know Red Hood before… before…

Dick closed the newspaper and decided to go for a drink. Mr. Hogan liked him and he would be safe there, even if it was a cop bar and his fellow officers weren't looking favourably on him.

"I guess I've got to show them, I'm no one special," Dick decided. People did tend to relax around those they could drink around.

* * *

 **Tea Bag (** CaraLee **)**

Tim heard the motorbike coming before he saw it.

"Jason!" he greeted with a smile and a large wave. Jason pulled up on the side of the street, pleased but surprised.

"Tim? I thought I was going to meet you at your place?"

"I got impatient," Tim responded with a small smile. He didn't want Jason to see his empty and unlived in house. The other teenager would probably be disappointed to learn that Tim wasn't important enough to go on his parents' trips with them.

He wanted Jason to think the best of him. Even if that meant he would think Tim was impatient and eager.

"Okay. Well, then. Hop on." Jason passed him a helmet without hesitation and Tim climbed onto the bike behind him.

They rushed through the streets, up towards Wayne Manor.

Alfred greeted them at the door, a tray of tea cups and tea in his hands.

"Good evening, young Masters," he said with a small bow. "Would you like some tea?"

"Sure," Jason said, motioning for the tray to be placed on the nearest table. He wasn't comfortable making his cup while Alfred held the tray, no matter what was expected.

"Thanks, Alfred," Tim said, coming up beside Jason. He liked the tea Alfred made. The wise butler used both tea leaves and a tea bag in the same pot to give the tea a strong flavour.

He watched Jason inhale the scent and smile, visibly relaxing.

"You don't like sugar in your tea, do you Tim?" Jason said to him.

"I don't mind a little bit," Tim said. He felt slightly panicked as Jason reached to pour him a cup too. "No. I can do it myself, thanks."

Jason watched him make his tea and Tim tried to ignore the nervous feeling he got being under close watch.

"Alright," Jason said happily when he was done, "I'm ready to beat some guys up, you?"

"Which kind?" Tim asked with a raised eyebrow. There were two kinds of beating guys up Jason was into and Tim had come over for a certain kind.

"The videogame kind!" Jason cheered, "I'm itching to shoot some guys dead!"

"That's disturbing," Tim muttered, a little taken-aback at Jason's enthusiasm. He didn't get the allure of RPG shooting games, he preferred puzzle games. But he liked playing with Jason and feeling like the other teen's friend.

"Yeah, whatever," Jason shrugged, "now, don't go hacking the game this time."

"But hacking it makes it more fun!" Tim protested. Jason glared, doing a very good impression of glaring Bruce. Tim grumbled under his breath all the way up to Jason's room.

* * *

 **Bird (** CaraLee **)**

There was a knock at Jason's apartment door. Strange but not uncommon.

"Heya, Boss-la…" his voice trailed off as he took a good look at the person on the other side of the threshold.

It was not Clancy, as he had originally thought.

It was Dick.

"Uh… hi?" he said, unused to Dick seeking him out. It was strange and the change in their current dynamic had him hopeful.

"Yea," Dick mumbled, rubbing his head. "Hi. You're not going out tonight, are you?"

Jason's eyebrows rose. It was a simple question in a simple tone but he had the feeling Dick was nonchalantly referring to his 'night job'.

"Why?"

"I hit my head during my shift earlier and Amy thinks I have a concussion or something. If I go to the hospital, then they guy we just arrested will get 'assaulting an officer' added to his list of charges and that's not a charge you want in this city. Amy's covering for me but only if I get someone to watch me for the next 24 hours. Can you do that?"

Jason thought Clancy would be Dick's first choice.

"She's working and I'd rather not bother her," Dick said when he asked.

"Oh, I see. This way you get to keep the law breaking vigilante off the street and get to help some criminal at the same time."

"Something like that," Dick responded. The guy had been currently charged with assault as he had knocked another person out while trying to protect his kids from being attacked in the streets. Dick was hoping that Amy's investigation would absolve him of any crime but he also knew it wouldn't happen if the 'assaulting an officer' charge was tacked on.

And if it got out that the guy had knocked Dick out before they could calm him down, it wouldn't matter if Dick wanted the charges pressed or not, the department would tack the charge on anyway. As a 'lesson'.

Jason thought about it but he knew he would give in. It was too good an opportunity to give up.

"Fine, come in."

Dick smiled a blinding white smile and walked in, taking off his police cap as he entered.

"Thanks, Little Wing."

Jason froze at the familiar nickname. Hope once again flaring in his chest.

"What did you just call me?" he asked.

Dick paused in confusion.

"Jason? That is your name, right?"

Funny, because that's not what Jason heard. He even checked the camera footage later, yes, he bugged his own apartment. Dick had certainly said 'Little Wing'.

But for the moment, he just felt desolate. He laughed nervously.

"Yeah, sorry. I didn't hear you properly."

Dick gave him another confused look before deciding to see what kind of cereal he had in the cupboard.

Jason had forgotten how annoying Dick could be at times. An odd mix of overgrown, emotional child and overly competent adult. As well as annoyed, he felt sad that he had forgotten things about his brother without realising it.

* * *

 **Circus** (Ki-Chan Riker)

Officer Grayson bolted down the alleyway, ignoring his partner's warning. The criminal turned back, gun in hand and Dick leapt. He went up, grabbed the grate of the fire escape above them, swung and flipped over the head of the criminal, landing behind him.

"Put the gun at your feet and raise your hands above your head," he ordered.

The criminal gulped and did just that.

"Damn, Rookie! Where'd you learn a trick like that?" Amy questioned as she came up to cuff the criminal. "You could join the circus with moves like that!" She spotted Dick's pensive expression and sobered. "Good job. Come on, let's go back."

Dick nodded. He didn't know how he felt about the circus. He had two contradictory thoughts about it. He thought it sounded nice but he also thought it was a scary place. Like the worst thing he had ever seen had been at a circus.

Dick shuddered as he sat down in the cruiser. He wouldn't be going to the circus anytime soon.

* * *

 **Promise** (Kessy Rods)

"Take care of B for me," Jason said to Tim as he pulled on his motorcycle helmet.

"I'll try but, you know he needs you."

"Nah," Jason responded, "the Boss has you. Like you said, he needs a Robin. Well, congratulations, Red Robin, you've got the job!"

Tim frowned, disapproving and sad. Jason reached out and ruffled his already messy hair.

"I'll visit," he said.

"Promise?" Tim said, looking younger than his fourteen years.

"Of course! I'll be back next weekend to say 'hi' and we'll patrol together. And maybe I'll convince B to give you to me for a few days. How does training in the 'Haven sound?"

"Dangerous," Tim said in a deadpan.

"Excellent."

Tim shook his head like he thought Jason was crazy. Jason smiled a wide smile.

"Master Jason!" Alfred called before he could start the bike. "I really hope you're not going to leave Master Bruce's present in the garage. Take it with you." Jason cursed under his breath. "And add your money to the swear jar before you leave."

"Ears like a bat, that one," Jason sighed.

"Take the truck, Jay," Tim said with an encouraging smile. "It's Bruce's way of saying he understands. And you did pick it out."

He had, because he had been hoping to fix it up.

"I guess I can fix it in Bludhaven," he sighed, getting off his bike. "But, I swear, the thing's probably going to break down on me."


	3. Tim and Bludhaven and Missing Things

**Tim and Bludhaven and Missing Things**

* * *

**Banana**  (oldmythologies)

 _Timeline for Banana:_ After Bruce and Jason meet Tim but before Dick vanishes.

"Ring, ring. Ring, ring. Hello? You've got Uncle J!" Joker laughed into a banana held up to his ear. "Did you miss me?"

Jason flinched away from the banana which was tossed at him and tried to ignore the shortness of breath and the pounding of his heart.

"Batman-Batman saw you blow up," he said, recalling the months after he had been rescued from this madman's scheme. Bruce had chased the Joker to Metropolis where he teamed up with Superman to try and get the Joker, even though he had diplomatic immunity.

And really, why did Jason always attract the ones which the law couldn't touch?

It had ended with the Joker getting away on a helicopter. With said helicopter blowing up above a lake. And even though there hadn't been a body, Jason had been hopeful of the Clown's demise.

"Robin!" a young voice called out.

 _No, no, no. Not Timmy._ Jason shook his head and prayed he heard wrong.  _Please, no, not Tim! Not here!_

"Well, well, well, well. Batsy has another one? A spare?" Joker questioned as Tim rounded the corner, wearing a makeshift costume pulled together from some of Dick and Jason's old Robin costumes. Jason's green shirt and tights with Dick's red Robin vest pulled over it and an old, short black cape of Bruce's.

"J-Joker!" Jason bellowed in warning. "Run!"

"I'm not going anywhere," Tim responded, readying himself for a fight. His hands trembled.

"Run! Leave me!" Jason said again. There were explosives here, there had to be. Joker liked making things hurt. He liked making things go bang.

 **"That's quite enough, Joker!"** Batman's voice was low and loud as he dropped in from the rafters. He turned to Tim and ordered, "get Robin."

Tim nodded and bolted towards Jason while Batman fought the Joker.

"Come on, let's get you out of here," Tim said calmly and soothingly.

"C-can't leave him h-here," Jason stammered and he really wished his voice would stop doing that. He wasn't  _scared_! He  _wasn't!_

Tim slapped him.

"I'm sorry!" he said, "I'm scared but I'm not going to let that beat me! I'm not going to let him beat  _us_! You are not alone!"

Jason stilled as his cheek stung. He became aware of the burns around his wrist and the blood making his bonds slippery. He had been furiously rubbing, pulling, tugging, anything against the rope around his wrists in a panicked, angry attempt to escape.

"I'm sorry," he said, "you're right."

Tim let a relieved breath go.

"Good. I thought you'd be mad that I hit you," he said as he reached back and cut the ropes, being careful of Jason's self-inflicted injuries.

"Alright, let's get that clown!" Jason declared once he was free. His wrists hurt but he wasn't going to let that stop him.

* * *

 **Apples** (Kessy Rods)

Tim wasn't scared. That was his story and he was sticking to it. See, he had just been walking down the street when suddenly there was a motorcycle rev from behind him. It had been loud. It had been unexpected.

Tim hadn't been scared, he had been readying himself for battle. That's why he jumped, no, why he dropped the bag of apples and pulled out his batarang.

Jason pulled off his helmet and laughed at him, even as he stammered out his reasoning.

He had not been  _scared_.

* * *

 **Family** (Ki-Chan Riker)

Tim looked around the apartment.

"It's ugly," he announced. It was exposed brick and industrial surfaces.

"What do you care?" Jason questioned. "You're only here for a weekend. I like it."

"Of course you do," Tim muttered. He ran his finger along the surface of the TV cabinet. There was not a speck of dust. "How?" he mumbled.

"What?"

"This place is spotless!"

"Uh, yeah. I like things clean."

Tim glared at Jason. There was clean and then there was 'not a spec of dirt – Alfred Level' of clean. Jason was somehow able to achieve the second.

There was a crash outside and a siren wailing.

"Well, welcome to Bludhaven, brother," Jason said with a mischievous smile as Tim stared at him.

* * *

 **Mail** (Kessy Rods)

Dick knocked on Jason's door. He didn't normally do this, however, he had received some mail he was certain belonged to the younger man. He waited and then knocked again.

It took a few moments before the door opened a crack. Dick was looking at shaggy dark hair and a single blue eye narrowed at him.

"Hello. You don't normally visit," he mumbled from the other side. Dick decided to ask Clancy what Jason's door was made of, because it had been muffling all sounds from inside.

"You're watching a movie?" Dick questioned.

Jason nodded and frowned.

"Look, I've got someone visiting." He looked so torn admitting that that Dick smirked and raised an eyebrow. Jason scowled. "It's not like that, you idiot! It's my little brother."

"Oh!" Dick realised he was intruding. It left him with a strange bereft feeling. "Well, um, don't worry about it." And he quickly walked off.

Jason swung his door open, calling for Dick to 'wait'. But he didn't and Jason was forced to realise that was probably for the best. He didn't want Tim to see Dick. Didn't want Tim to make the connection, which he would. Tim was smart.

"Hey, Jay, who was it?" Tim questioned when he noticed that Jason was standing at the door longer than necessary.

Jason fumbled for an answer.

"It was just a neighbour," he finally settled on.

* * *

 **Criminals** (Ki-Chan Riker)

They were hanging from the lamp outside of the BPD. Tied up and strung with a note pinned to the rope.

"First one, now two," one of the officers grumbled when he saw it. Dick glimpsed the  _two_  symbols used as signatures on the note. He recognised Red Hood's from the other times he had left criminals for them. The other one was new though. It looked a little like Robin's.

"Red Robin," the Chief announced, causing the whole office to tense as he slammed the phone down. He had just gotten off the phone with the Gotham City Police Department. "That's our newest 'fancy dress', 'masquerade ball' nutcase! You see 'im, you shoot him, got that?"

There were nods all around. Dick didn't agree but he didn't speak out like he wanted too. Unfortunately, the Chief noticed that he didn't respond.

"Got that, Grayson?"

"I understand Chief," he responded, wondering if he could 'lose' his gun while Red Robin was in town. Now he understood why Jason was acting so fishy when he went to deliver his lost mail. Red Robin was staying with him.

* * *

 **Coffee**  (MiriB and Ki-Chan Riker)

There were things about people you never really learnt until you spent an extended amount of time with them. Until you wished them goodnight as they slept on your couch (and Jason offered his bed, really he did) and woke up to the smell of pancakes in the morning.

"You had a premixed bottle of the stuff," Tim explained through a yawn. "I'm using it."

Jason had forgotten he picked that bottle up. It was literally just add water, shake, cook and he thought it would be a nice, easy meal one morning. Then he just pushed it to the back of his cupboard behind the coffee.

"Okay," he said, going over to the fridge and pouring himself some orange juice.

And pouring himself some orange juice... Jason shook the cartoon but still no orange juice fell from it into his waiting cup. He held it up to his eye.

"Tim, what happened to the orange juice?"

Tim gave him a surprised look but realised he wasn't joking.

"Uh… I must have drunk it all."

"It was three-quarters full, Tim," Jason pointed out. Really, he should have figured out that it was empty from the weight alone but, it was morning and he had a late night.

"There was no coffee. I substituted."

It took a moment for this to compute.

"I just bought coffee," he growled, stalking over to the pantry cupboard and opening it.

"I-I'm sorry."

"Not your fault," Jason pointed out as he reached for the coffee jar. It was light and he opened it to see only a few loose bits of instant coffee left.

He also remembered where it probably went. Dick had knocked on his door a two days ago, begging to borrow some coffee because cops needed coffee and doughnuts or something like that (it was a bad joke) but he was out and didn't want to spend money on coffee because then everyone at the station would want one (Jason thought this might also have been a joke but with cops, he couldn't tell).

Jason had relented and Dick smiled and went over to his coffee jar.

Jason had told him to leave him some! Not tiny flakes but enough to make a coffee with! In order to stop Timmy from drinking all his juice!

"Stupid thieving officer," he grumbled under his breath, getting a strange look from Tim.

* * *

 **Fly** (not paranoid enough)

It was interesting, jumping out of an apartment window rather than taking his bike out of a tunnel. He leapt across the void between buildings and fired his grapple gun. He flew through the air and landed on a nearby roof, a step behind Red Hood.

"Nice," Red Hood praised. "Let's see if you can keep up."

Red Robin groaned as Red Hood jumped off the roof with a laugh.

"You're crazy," Red Robin sighed, jumping after him. They flew through the city and Red Robin couldn't help thinking that Red Hood was a lot better at this than he was.

Red Hood tucked into the roll as he landed, springing right up to stand perfectly. It was a move he had practised with Dick.

Red Robin landed, rolled and then stumbled as he moved out of the roll.

"Sorry," he said when he caught Red Hood staring.

"Not your fault. I had some trouble with that move too," he responded. They spent about an hour around that area with Red Hood showing Red Robin what Dick had taught him and just watching Red Robin practise and praising him when he did a good move.

* * *

 **Bats** (Ki-Chan Riker)

Two Bats (or a Bat and a Bird as some preferred to say) in Bludhaven seemed to put everyone on edge. Dick was glad Amy was his partner. She didn't care much for the vigilante and caped communities, much like himself. Minus the vigilante living in his building.

Dick was slightly worried about how he put Jason in a separate category.

"This is ridiculous," he grumbled.

"This is the job so shut your mouth, Rookie," Amy responded.

"That him?" Dick asked, pointing at a guy walking down the street.

"Nope. And if this is going to be the next eight hours with you, then go home."

"But-"

"No, Dick. You and I both know that the reason we're sitting here is because of you. The Chief knows you have sympathy for the Red Hood and with Red Robin in town, he doesn't want you anywhere near where they've been sighted."

"I don't have sympathy for vigilantes. I don't think it's right that we shoot on sight. Red Hood and the new Robin don't have records for attacking officers. We should be trying to arrest them, not kill them."

"It's Bludhaven."

Dick remained silent. He didn't want to respond to that. He just wanted to help and he had been planning to find a way to take down the corrupt officers without falling to their level. Bludhaven deserved better than she got.

"Look, Dick. Just be glad that the Chief is taking the decision out of your hands."

"Or not," Dick mused. Amy gave him a confused look and he pointed at a nearby rooftop.

"Aw, dammit," Amy grumbled. She shoved the door of the car open and climbed out, Dick mirroring her on the other side. "Flick the lights on."

Dick sighed and reached into the car, flicking on the flashing red and blue lights.

"Alright." Amy pulled out a megaphone. "Red Robin and Red Hood. You have three seconds to begin descending from that rooftop to hand yourselves in. Otherwise, we will fire."

Dick thought they were supposed to fire anyway but decided he had pushed his luck with Amy enough already.

He couldn't help commenting that, "I don't think they're going to turn themselves in."

Amy made an annoyed sound and pulled out her gun. She shot him a look which said he better do the same.

* * *

 **Swearing**  (Ki-Chan Riker)

Jason opened his door at the third set of powerful raps.

"What-" he began to ask, cut off as someone grabbed his arm and pulled him out before slamming him back against his own door.

Jason was staring into furious blue eyes and one angry Dick Grayson still in his police uniform.

"I have an idea of why you don't want me inside your apartment and I get it, okay? However, you need to understand that the police have a shoot-to-kill order out on Red Hood."

"They do?"

"That was a pathetic attempt at lying. You know they do. Now, I fired a couple of shots at the Hood and his friend last night. Any theories on why Red Hood has suddenly changed where he hangs out in the city, oh clever neighbour of mine?" The last few words were heavy with sarcasm and double meaning.

"If I had to guess, it'd probably have something to do with Red Robin's presence. Like, maybe they were training or something and didn't expect to find police officers so far from their regular patrols."

"Maybe those officers were being kept away for a reason." Dick's eyes softened for a moment and he hung his head. "I don't want to see you get hurt. And I certainly don't want to be the cause of it."

"Are you… is this police beatdown about you being worried about me?" Jason questioned incredulously.

"Your friend, he's okay too?" Dick asked, dodging the question.

Jason took Dick's response as a 'yes' and smiled.

"He's fine. You really think we can't dodge a few badly shot bullets?"

"The point is you shouldn't have to dodge a few badly shot bullets." Jason rolled his eyes. "I mean it, Jay!"

He laughed and pushed Dick away from him. In a light-hearted tone, he told Dick to go away although those weren't the words he used.

"Add your money to the swear jar!" Dick laughed back. His voice took on a slightly British accent, a mimicry which caused Jason to pause. "What's wrong?"

Jason wondered if he should say something about it. He didn't think he could take it if Dick didn't remember what he had said. It took him a few moments to figure out exactly what to say.

"Where'd you pick that up?"

"Huh?" Dick's face turned curious and questioning. His eyes flicked up to one side and then the other, down and up, as he tried to figure it out. "No idea. Maybe a TV show? And you can't tell me that your house doesn't have a swear jar. Not with your mouth, Mr. Todd."

"Whatever," Jason responded. "Look, I'll keep your suggestion in mind. But, I'm not stopping. Even if you drag me down to the station and expose me right there. Bludhaven needs more than people like you fighting both corrupt co-workers and the criminals who run the place. It needs someone like Batman."

"I won't expose you," Dick promised and there was something in his eyes which Jason couldn't identify. It was soft and painful.

"Okay."

* * *

 **Mirror** (Kessy Rods)

There was a crash and Tim bolted towards the locker rooms of the Batcave.

"Bruce?" he questioned when he found the large man in question standing before an open locker. There were shards of reflective glass around his feet and four large corner shards still attached to the door of the locker. "Why is the mirror shattered?"

"It's nothing," Bruce growled. He slammed the locker door with enough force to cause Tim to cover his ears. The door bounced back open and Bruce slammed it again. And again.

"Bruce! Stop please!" Tim said, scared. He didn't understand what was going on. Bruce seemed angry but why? Was it him?

"Sir. You are scaring Timothy." Tim breathed in relief as Alfred appeared. His words and disapproving glare were enough to cause Bruce to pause.

"Sorry about that, Tim," Bruce said. "I'm just frustrated. It's difficult with Jason out of Gotham."

"O-okay. No worries," Tim stammered. The way Bruce glanced at the unused locker with blue bird symbol on the front suggested it wasn't Jason he had been thinking about.

* * *

 **Guns** (Ki-Chan Riker)

He saw the gun. He saw the gun and it was like clarity for a few moments.

 _What in goodness name did he think he was doing?_  He should also take time to analyse why the voice of clarity sounded like Alfred. But first things first, he disarmed the crook and called it a night. He could feel a familiar heavy haze work its way through his body, calling for rest… and maybe wine.

Bruce Wayne spent the rest of the evening, sitting on the couch with a glass of wine and then went to bed and another sleepless night.

* * *

 **Trapeze**  (Ki-Chan Riker)

Bruce stared at the trapeze sitting above the training mats. Dick's trapeze. It sat there, empty. He had the idle thought that this had been the longest it had gone without use.

It wouldn't be used again. Maybe he should get rid of it. His mind started running through all the troublesome steps he would have to undertake to get rid of it and it made him more and more frustrated.

"Bruce?" Tim asked from the entrance.

Bruce's annoyance levels spiked. He knew Tim and Jason would be against removing the trapeze but logically, it was taking up space. Emotionally, it hurt Bruce to see it alone and unsused.

"Go," he said in a short growl. He didn't want to take his anger, frustration and annoyance out of Tim. The teenager didn't deserve it.

* * *

 **Lullaby** (Ki-Chan Riker)

Tim knew Alfred was there. He could see the Butler's reflection in the monitor.

"I'm not going to bed," he said, "not until this is done."

"Hmm. For a moment, I thought I was talking to someone larger and wearing more black," Alfred mused.

Tim turned to glare at him.

"Yeah, because he's been a real help lately," he pointed out. The only reason Tim was doing this was because Bruce hadn't.

Bruce hadn't been doing a lot lately. He still went out as Batman but sometimes would miss days. Sometimes he would go out for a few hours or less and then come back.

It was random, unpredictable and Bruce wouldn't answer any questions about it.

The worst part was that Tim knew exactly where to find him. Sitting in his chair in the study, drinking.

Things were slipping in Gotham and Tim felt like he was handling it alone out there. Not figuratively either. Batman had vanished during the previous patrol, leaving him alone out there.

Alfred did not leave. Nor did he go get hot milk, turn on some music to lull him to sleep or any other of the numerous tricks the butler had to get them to sleep.

It was just what Tim needed to make him turn around. He could see the lines of worry in Alfred's face. The crinkle in his brow.

"Alfred, what's wrong?" he asked.

"I've heard Master Bruce talking… he's even mentioned a few things to me,  _hypothetically_ of course," Alfred's tone said he knew whatever Bruce had mentioned had not been hypothetical, not matter how much the eccentric billionaire used the word. "Master Timothy, I'm afraid Master Dick's… disappearance may be affecting him more than we thought."

"More than the drinking, not sleeping and letting his responsibilities as Batman slip?"

"He's talking about retiring the Batman."

Tim's heart plummeted to the cold, hard ground of the cave. He… can't have heard that right, right?

"What?"

"He wants to retire the Batman. Says nothing good has come of it and Robin… and Nightwing. I fear… he may force you and Master Jason to stop as well."

Tim couldn't breathe. Nothing good? What about Gotham? What about him? Tim wouldn't be here without Batman and Robin. Neither would Jason. What would have become of Jason without Batman?

"But, Gotham needs Batman and Robin," he said, his voice taking on a high, childish tone.

"As much as I dislike it, I am inclined to agree."

Tim nodded woodenly, his mind running through everything he could do to fix this.

_He had no idea how to fix this!_

"We need Jason," he said, turning back to the computer and keying in the code to call Red Hood. Jason fixed things. Jason could fix this.

Right?


	4. Return to Gotham

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Be warned. There's plot. Family-related plot. (And I haven't forgotten about Bludhaven, this has actually been planned).

**Return to Gotham**

* * *

**Beers**  (Ki-Chan Riker)

Dick gave Clancy a shocked look and almost spilled his beer.

"You're kidding?"

Glum, Clancy shook her head.

"'E's gone. Don't know how long he'll be gone."

"H-he didn't tell me," Dick stammered, feeling betrayed. He had thought that he and Jason had at least an awkward friendship. Enough that Jason would tell him if he planned to leave Bludhaven.

"I think 'twas sudden. Heard his kid brother called up with some kind of problem. Must have been bad."

"Yeah," Dick gulped.

Across the bar Hogan sighed as well.

"I'm gonna miss that kid."

"Hey!" Clancy said, "he'll be back!"

Hogan just raised an eyebrow.

"Kid's not coming back. Not to Bludhaven."

"He chose to come here," Dick pointed out.

"And the 'Haven finally scared him off."

"He was not 'scared off'!" Dick and Clancy said as one.

"Okay, okay, but seriously, I never heard him mention a brother before."

"Timmy," Dick told him. "His name is Tim. They're adoptive brothers. I think he visited a while back."

"Oh yeah!" Clancy said, "I remember that kid! Stick skinny and so tiny for a teenager. I even felt like feeding the kid, fatten him up a little so I guess I can understand why Jason left, if that kid needed 'im."

"How does a landlord and a neighbour know more about my employees than I do?" Hogan lamented.

"I'm nosey," Clancy responded, although it was more of a defence mechanism than a trait.

"Cop," Dick answered, pointing to himself.

"Yeah, yeah, Grayson, we all know of your idiotic choice in career," Hogan teased. Dick laughed with them at that, knowing it was a joke. Hogan had previously said that he was one of the good ones and that he was glad for Dick's presence.

* * *

 **Flames**  (Ki-Chan Riker)

The apartment block burned. Dick tried to save whomever he could before the firefighters arrived.

The fire raged out of control, the flames destroying everything in their path. When they arrived, the firefighters had to focus their efforts on protecting the surrounding buildings.

The apartment block, the only home Dick knew, burnt to the ground while he, Clancy and a number of other residents watched as they were rendered homeless in an unforgiving city.

Dick knew this was no accident.

 

"It's an accident," the Chief declared, signing off on the case.

"But, Chief, I was there! This was no accident!" Dick insisted.

The Chief looked up at him, beady eyes narrowed and a frown on his face.

"You questionin' my experience, Rookie?" he growled.

"Have you checked the crime scene?" Dick responded, unable to hold his tongue this time. Lots of good people were out on the streets this night and he owed it to them that they got closure and a proper investigation. "Have you talked to the firefighters? They have their own investigators working on it. How will it look when they say 'arson' but you've said 'accident'?"

"Are you threatenin' me?" Dick shook his head and glared, his blue eyes hard. "Grayson, there's rumours floating around that the Red Hood lives there. You know anything 'bout that?" Dick shook his head again. "Nothing, huh? Figures. Can't do detective work worth a dime. I want you here, ASAP, for witness statements relating to the Red Hood. Now, get out of my office before I strip you of your badge."

Dick nodded and took the offered case folder.

In hindsight, he should have expected a trap.

* * *

 **Onomatopoeia** (not paranoid enough)

Pound, pound, pound.

Bang!

Ding!

Squelch. Thud.

Groan. Hiss. Wheeze. Pant, pant. Silence.

Step, step.

Thump, th-thud, thud.

Step.

…

Step… step… step…

Phew.

* * *

 **Guardian**  (Ki-Chan Riker)

It was late. Usually, Batman would be out. As it was, Red Hood and Red Robin were while Bruce wandered around the manor. He did smash a few things on his wanderings and he ignored Alfred's disapproving gazes.

He was wandering the parlour when there was a strong rap at the door.

 

Dick pounded the door, trying not to think about what might be on the other side. This was the stuff which made his nightmares. A strange house and strange people who knew him but not.

Dick tried to think positive. He might not be the Dick Grayson who lived in this house. Besides, he wasn't here for himself. He was here for Jason.

The door opened. Dick's eyes widened at the sight of Bruce Wayne. Tall, broad shouldered and with messy stubble around his mouth and chin. Bruce's ice blue eyes widened. His lips parted slightly in surprise.

"Hello. I'm Officer Dick Grayson from Bludhaven. I need to talk to Jason Todd."

His dark hair was a lot shorter than Bruce remembered. It was cut neatly with a waving fridge around his face to his ears. He was in an officer's uniform.

_Officer Dick Grayson._

Dick's blue eyes looked around him and around at manor. They were interested, scared but there was no recognition in them. No widening of the eyes or familiar motions of the mouth which would suggest Dick knew what he was looking at.

"I'm sorry?" Bruce questioned because he had to be dreaming. This didn't make any sense.

"I'm looking for Jason Todd. I have no idea how to contact him but you should. You did adopt him, right?" The question was cautious, as if he was worried about offending Bruce. There was no anger in it but even so Bruce ended up flashing back to the argument he and Dick had after he adopted Jason.

Bruce never got the chance to adopt Dick.

"I… uh, yes. Jason lives here. He's out right now but you're welcome to come in and wait." And give him time to figure out what was going on.

* * *

 **Vase**  (CaraLee)

Dick was afraid to touch anything in Wayne Manor. Everything looked expensive. He just followed a few steps being Mr. Wayne into a sitting room.

Mr. Wayne looked at him for a few moments before asking him to sit down. Dick couldn't help thinking that maybe he made a mistake. But, he needed Jason's help. While he didn't like the idea of inviting vigilantes into Bludhaven, he had reached his limits. Returning to Bludhaven would probably be a death sentence while Blockbuster and the Chief were in power. It would take some thinking and moving outside of the box to stop them and if they were willing to destroy people's lives to get at the Red Hood, then Jason had to be on the right track.

Or a better track than Dick was managing.

There was a crash, causing Dick to jump up and snap his hand to his gun holster as he swung around to the door.

There was an old man standing there, shards of a vase at his feet. His face was pale and he was staring at Dick like he was looking at a ghost.

"Sir?" he questioned, revealing his British accent with that one word.

"Alfred," Bruce said and Dick could see the man's strain with trying to sound casual. There was a twitch under his chin, giving away his stress. "Are the boys back yet?"

Alfred's eyes didn't leave Dick's face as he responded, "on their way, sir. May I ask…"

"I'm Officer Dick Grayson from Bludhaven. I need to talk to Jason Todd," Dick said before Alfred could voice his concerns. He didn't want these people making their own assumptions of him.

He knew they would anyway but he didn't want to hear them. He didn't want to face them.

"That's all," he finished with.

He sat back down, trying to ignore their gazes. Alfred's was heavy with emotions he couldn't identify and Bruce was sad, afraid, uncertain and worried all bundled into one.

* * *

 **Fire**  (MiriB)

"Alright, where's the fire?" Jason asked. He had been walking out of the locker room as he pulled on his red shirt so he got a good look at Alfred's face right as his head popped through the shirt.

Alfred was still, although Jason's eye was draw to the slight tremors in his hands. His eyes were less focused than usual and he was hiding tears.

"What's happened?" Jason asked, going from jovial to serious in a moment. "What did Bruce do?"

"It's not something Bruce did," Alfred responded. After a thoughtful pause, he added, "there's a police officer from Bludhaven here to see you, Master Jason."

"An officer from Bludhaven?" Tim questioned in a surprised tone. Jason was already moving up the stairs.

It couldn't be. It wouldn't be. Dick had no interest in Jason's life and he had no idea how Dick would have known where to find him. But, there was no other officer in Bludhaven who would bother tracking Jason back to the Manor.

Right?

He burst into the sitting room. Sitting on the couch was Dick and in the armchair across from him was Bruce.

Dick stood up when he entered.

"Jason," he said, the name almost a hushed prayer on his lips. He frowned and then said, "we need to talk."

Jason's eyebrows went up.

"Uh, sure. What's up?" Distantly, he noticed Tim arrive behind him, gasping at the sight of their visitor.

Dick's eyes shifted behind him for a moment.

"Is there somewhere more private we can talk?" he asked.

Jason nodded and led Dick down towards his room. He closed and locked the door and noticed that Dick relaxed at that. Which also allowed him to realise just how tense Dick had been before.

Who relaxes when a door is locked on them? If it hadn't been his own room, Jason would have been panicked.

"What are you doing here?" he asked. "And how are you even here?"

"How is easy," Dick responded, trying to joke but his voice fell flat, "I took the train. As for what I'm doing here… Jason, the apartment building burnt down. There's nothing left."

"What? So you're homeless?" Jason mourned the loss of his stuff but it had just been stuff.

Dick shook his head, even though he didn't really have anywhere to go with the loss his apartment. He probably couldn't go back to his job as well.

"That's not it at all. You'd think I'd come here, risk seeing  _him_  if it wasn't important?" Dick said in a frustrated tone.

"What do you mean by-"

Dick stood up and threw his hands into the air. He told Jason about the fire, his suspicions and his co-workers hunting him down.

"Want to tell me how they knew the Red Hood lived in our apartment building?" Dick finished his rant with.

Jason stood there, his mouth open as he stared. He had missed so much and Dick had paid the price. He guessed he could be glad that Dick hadn't brought up the vigilante side of it or blamed him for it.

"I have no idea. How did you know I lived here?"

Dick paused and bit his lip. His body went loose, a Nightwing battle stance; one with emphasis on evasion.

"Dick?"

Dick looked away.

"I don't want to talk about it."

Jason considered pushing the issue, he had the feeling Bruce would do that to him later, but knew it would just make Dick more reluctant.

"Okay."

Dick looked up at him, eyebrows going up and then relaxing, lips twitching into a relieved smile.

"Okay?" he questioned.

"You don't have to talk about it," Jason shrugged. He had things he didn't want to talk about too.

* * *

 **Tea**  (Kessy Rods)

Tim tried listening at the study door but he couldn't hear anything. He knew that Bruce was talking to Jason in there, looking for answers about the Dick look-a-like who had hunted them down.

It had to be a look-a-like because there had been no recognition from Dick. Only wariness, which could be explained away since he was standing in the manor of the richest guy in Gotham.

"Um…" Tim jumped at the sound of someone behind him, whirling to face the look-a-like. "Hello?" Dick sounded uncertain, perhaps surprised at his reaction.

"Hi?" Tim responded, just as uncertainly. "I'm not sure if you know who I am, but my name's Tim. Timothy Drake."

"Not Drake-Wayne?" Dick questioned. "Bruce adopted you as well, right?"

Tim didn't like the reminder of the terrible fate which had befallen his parents. He spent many nights wondering if it was his fault. His fault for taking up Robin's mantle and inviting the taint of Gotham to mess with their lives.

"Yeah. He did. Officially yes, but both Jason and I tend not to add the 'Wayne' unless we're representing Bruce or his company," Tim said instead.

"That makes sense." Dick gave him a small, disarming smile. "I'm Dick Grayson."

"Officer Grayson," Tim observed, returning the smile. "Want to join me for tea or something?" Tim hadn't spent much time with Dick before Nightwing vanished. If this wasn't Dick, then he needed to watch him. Two reasons why inviting him to tea was a good idea.

Dick looked surprised by the offer. He froze for a few moments.

"Sure," he finally responded. He turned to walk away but only moved a few steps before he paused and turned back to Tim with a sheepish smile. "Um… where do we go for tea?"

Tim laughed before pointing in the opposite direction.

"This way."

* * *

 **Bed**  (CaraLee)

Dick's stomach had churned when Bruce offered to give him a room for the night or 'whenever he was done with whatever he was planning with Jason'. Jason had glared at his adoptive father and Dick later realised that he had known what Bruce had been planning and hadn't agreed.

Bruce had guided him to a closed door and opened it. The room was neat and clean. But, it was obviously someone's room. There were posters on the wall, sheets on the bed which didn't match the rest of the manor, a desk with stationary atop it and books and trinkets on the shelves.

"I can't stay here," Dick said plainly to Bruce. "Someone else obviously lives here."

Bruce's eyebrow had quirked.

"Hm." Dick realised then that Bruce had planted himself right in the doorway, cutting off his escape.

His mind hissed at him that this was some kind of trap.

"Bruce, whose room is this?" he demanded to know. It was not curiosity, it was getting this farce over with as quickly as possible.

"Yours. Dick Grayson's."

"I lived in an apartment in Bludhaven," Dick attempted to keep his voice calm, to keep a lid on the anger surging through his body.

"Jason checked. Your appearance coincides with Dick's disappearance-"

"Shut up."

"-your physical description is almost a match-"

"Shut up!"

"-the amnesia can explain any discrepancies between you and who you were before-"

"SHUT UP!" Dick punched him. Hard. "I KNOW!"

"What?" Bruce questioned in surprise, tensing up where he was crouched on the ground, hand placed over the cheek where Dick had hit him.

"I don't remember but I  _know._ " Still Bruce stared at him, uncomprehending.

* * *

 **Pencil**  (MiriB)

Dick woke up with nothing. Nothing but a name. What burned with his apartment was research into Bruce Wayne and his family.

Including one missing Dick Grayson from Gotham, although he hadn't been living there at the time of his disappearance.

Memory-less Dick's appearance matched the description and the few photos he could find of Dick before he left Gotham.

The times didn't match. When Dick Grayson was reported missing, memory-less Dick Grayson was already around. Later on, Dick would figure out that the missing persons report had been altered so that it didn't match up with another figure going missing.

Because the evidence suggested that Dick Grayson had been Nightwing (admittedly, he hadn't figured out that little piece of information until he learnt that Jason Todd was Red Hood) and Nightwing was missing too.

Nightwing's disappearance was close to Dick's appearance. Close enough that they could be the same person.

Before Dick learnt about Nightwing, he ended up learning about Bruce Wayne. Guardian to the missing Dick Grayson, adoptive father to Jason Todd and later Tim. Playboy and one of the richest men in Gotham.

Dick had to travel to Gotham to find some of the information with nothing but a notebook and a pencil, scribbling down enough information to make Clancy happy; she had pushed him to keep researching who he might have been, even though he had lost interest once he had grown comfortable in Bludhaven. Clancy didn't even read what he wrote and he didn't share it but she smiled whenever she saw him with that little notebook and pencil.

* * *

 **Fix**  (Ki-Chan Riker)

Dick had been ready to storm out. He was stopped at the exit where Jason and Tim had been waiting.

"Had a feeling you might try to leave," Jason said, pulling Tim along. "You came to get my help, do you still want it?"

Dick's eyes narrowed. His hand clenched around the doorknob.

"I came to tell you what happened," Dick said through clenched teeth. "That's all."

"But, if you leave, they'll kill you," Tim said to Dick, his voice strong and earnest.

Dick's eyebrows rose. This was Red Robin? A teenager who barely reached his shoulders?

"I'm an officer. I can't ignore this," he responded.

"Do you even have a plan?" Tim asked. "Because I do."

Dick was silent a few moments.

Jason looked at Tim in surprise and questioned, "you do?"

Tim nodded and explained, "Dick is a police officer. So he should go to the police. Not Bludhaven's but Gotham's."

"You think Gotham's police force will help me?" Dick didn't seem certain. He knew they would take one look at him and probably see a missing person.

"Of course, you'll have to stay the night here," Jason said with a smirk which made Dick worry.

"No, I don't," Dick responded. That was the last thing he remembered of that night.

Jason had thrown knock-out gas in his face.

* * *

 **Banter**  (Ki-Chan Riker)

"I think he's waking up."  
"Really?" The sound of something rustling. Sheets?

"You used too much."

"Or his resistance went down. Is that possible?"

"Maybe. Or you used too much."

"Hm…"

"I saw you make that pellet, Jay. I told you it was too much."

"I was taking down the Golden Child, Tim. The first Robin. Too much was better than too little."

Dick opened his eyes. Everything was blurry for a moment. He blinked and could make out Tim's head hovering over him and the dark ceiling above him.

Dick's eyes scanned the room. This was not the room Bruce showed him.

"Welcome to my humble abode," Jason smirked at him from where he was perched on the bed. His tone was theatrical and he lowered his voice for dramatic effect.

"Humble abode?" Dick groaned. He tried to sit up but his body just didn't want to move.

"Hey, it's my room, I'll call it what I want," Jason responded defensively.

"He did theatre in High School," Tim said.

"What? Don't tell him that!" Jason responded, tossing a pillow at the teenager. Tim bounced out of view for a moment and the pillow walloped Dick in the face.

He groaned again as his stiff limbs reached up to pull it off.

"Ow."

"It's a pillow, man. It doesn't hurt."

"Hate. You."

"Oh, so scary."

"Does this count as kidnapping? Did we kidnap a cop?" Tim asked with horror and realisation in his tone.

"You just realised?"

Dick looked between Tim's slightly panicked face and Jason's smug one and decided they needed a topic change.

"You did theatre?" he asked Jason as it seemed to be a relatively safe option. Plus, he was curious. Jason looked like a bad boy, not a theatre kid.

"The girls still sell photographs of the time he played Prince Charming in the school's production of Sleeping Beauty," Tim answered. "Alfred's favourite was the time he played Tybalt in Romeo and Juliet."

"Alfred's biased," Jason stated.

"Really?" Dick asked. He could move a little bit now so he pulled himself up so that he was sitting against the desk.

"Alfred used to be an actor before he became Bruce's butler," Tim explained.

"Alfred used to be a lot of things before he became Bruce's butler. Guy's way overqualified."

"I see," Dick stated as he started to gain some understanding of this household beyond 'they're all crazy'. Although, he still thought they were all crazy.

Jason continued, reminded of something, "anyway, Alfred says you can sleep in here until you find another 'lodgings'. Although I think he's hoping you stay a while."

"Or forever," Tim said quietly, almost eerily. Both Dick and Jason gave him weirded-out looks.

"Too much creepy, kid," Jason said and Dick nodded in agreement while Tim found the carpet suddenly very interesting.

"Yeah, well, it's true," he muttered.

* * *

 **Clown**  (Ki-Chan Riker)

Red Hood dropped down into the abandoned amusement part. Behind the hood, he was scowling.

"Hate clowns," he grumbled, looking over at the abandoned amusements featuring white painted faces. "Hate clowns so much."

Gun shots sounded over the comms and Batman sighed.

"Need backup?" he questioned.

"I. Do not. Need. Backup! Why would you think that?" Red Hood growled.

"It's okay, Batman. He's just beating up on some plastic, or are they ceramic?, clown faces," Red Robin reported.

"I heard gunshots."

"I use guns now," Red Hood reminded him. "And before you ask, they're rubber bullets. Red Arrow made them for me. Guy's a genius and we should keep him because GA's an idiot."

"We don't keep people, Red Hood," Batman growled, "and, yes, GA's an idiot. However, he has legal guardianship over Red Arrow so my hands are tied."

"Lies."

"We could keep him," Red Robin insisted.

There was a crackle as another voice joined their chat.

"Um… that's called being friends. And you don't need to 'keep' people to be friends." Dick Grayson's voice was strong, despite his nervousness. For some reason, Dick wasn't comfortable in the cave. He claimed it was the dark, damp, cave-ness of the cave but Red Hood thought that wasn't right.

"Yeah, whatever," Red Hood said while Red Robin muttered a quiet, "okay."

They all refrained from telling Dick that they were keeping him.


	5. Past with Jay as Robin and Now with Dick's Return

**Past with Jay as Robin and Now with Dick's Return**

* * *

**Mellifluous**  (oldmythologies)

At first, it was just a tune. Something Dick would hum whenever he was busy with paperwork or content. It was something which just popped into his mind when he relaxed or needed to concentrate.

He would even wake up with it playing on repeat in his head. He didn't mind, he actually liked the tune. It was pleasant, calming even.

Sometimes he tried to focus, tried to figure out what words went with the tune.

 _"…he'd fly through the air with the greatest of ease…"_ For a while, those were the only words he could remember. They would play over and over in his head.

Then there was a domestic violence case. An enraged father, beating his wife in front of their children. Officers Grayson and Rohrbach were dispatched. Amy ordered him to look after the children while she took down the man. Dick took one look at the terrified girl holding her baby sister and felt the rest of the song come into focus in his head. He guided them out, singing in a soft, smooth voice;

_"That daring young man on the flying trapeze…"_

* * *

**Paint**  (MiriB)

Dick glared at Bruce.

_No, he was not going to wear the stupid costume._

_No, he was not interested in their little crusade._

_And no, he was not going to move his air mattress out of Jason's room._

"I'm not going to… to paint myself over with what you expect from me," he said. That was something which featured in his nightmares. People he didn't know, forcing him to act like someone else. Not him. Slowly taking his colours from him, making him a bland copy.

Bruce's eyebrows twitched and then relaxed.

"Alright," he relented.

It felt like a weight being pulled off Dick's chest.

* * *

**Mountain**  (MiriB)

"How about ' _I would climb the tallest mountain, cross the hottest desert and swim the deepest oceans for one of your kisses'_?"

Tim stared at Jason.

"I'm not texting that."

Jason gave him a confused look and moved out of his chair, stalking around to where Tim was seated at the table.

"But, doesn't she make you feel like you can do anything?"

"Um…" Tim stammered, neck and ears going red. He stared at his phone. "Not really, no. I just think she's really pretty. And nice."

"Then tell her that then!" Jason announced with a blinding white smile.

Tim flushed completely.

"I-I can't say that. It's embarrassing!"

"There's nothing embarrassing about how she makes you feel."

"Master Jason, not everyone has your… openness when they feel a connection to another," Alfred pointed out. Jason frowned but didn't seem to get it.

"I'll text her then," he said, snatching the phone from Tim's hands.

"What? No!" Tim bolted after Jason, trying to stop him from sending the message. "She's just a girl from class.  _Jason!"_

* * *

**Redhead**  (Ki-Chan Riker)

His name was Roy. Roy Harper. He was a friend of Jason's but before that, he had been Dick's friend. After Dick's disappearance, unlike the rest of Dick's friends, he chose to stay close to the family and look after Jason. Even though Jason proved time and time again that he didn't need protection.

They were good friends. They hugged when Roy came through the door with a bow strapped to his back and the only missing thing from his uniform being his mask.

Dick watched and read their lips as they talked in hushed tones.

"You found him?" Roy asked Jason, his eyes flicking up towards where Dick was standing.

"I said I would, didn't I?"

"Yeah. But I didn't think you'd manage to pull it off without anyone finding out!"

"Are you going to say 'hi'?"

Roy smirked a smirk which spelled trouble.

"I came all the way here, didn't I?"

They both looked up at Dick. Jason waved.

"Hey, Dick! Come meet this idiot!" The term was full of endearment and Dick couldn't help smiling at it.

Roy looked him up and down with a smile.

"Well, you look to be in one piece."

"Thanks?" Dick had no idea if that was a good comment or not.

Roy stuck out his hand.

"Jaybird says you don't remember us. I'm Roy Harper, also known as Red Arrow."

"Dick Grayson," Dick said, shaking the offered hand. "Also, Jaybird?"

"Don't call me that," Jason scowled.

"Only I can call you that, right?" Roy said.

"No. Never call me that."

Roy and Dick shared a look.

"Okay, Jaybird," Dick said as Roy said, "whatever you say, Jaybird."

"Run!" Roy warned Dick, pulling him alone as Jason pulled out Batarangs and started throwing them.

Dick laughed as he skid down the halls. He turned down one to see Alfred in their way.

"Opps, sorry, Alfie!" he spouted, leaping up the wall and kicking off it in order to dodge the butler.

"My word!" Alfred gasped, pressing up against the wall as Roy and Jason came bolting through.

"Ow, ow, ow!" Roy kept saying as Jason pelted him with blunt objects.

"And they're supposed to be the adults around here," Tim commented when he poked his head out of his room to see what the commotion was.

* * *

**Blue** (not paranoid enough)

When Nightwing vanished, all they had left was his stuff. Batman pulled out one of his spare uniforms and turned it into a monument in the cave. A reminder to never stop looking. Jason would stare at the streak of blue in the black every time he passed it.

He hated the thing. It wasn't a reminder, it was a headstone.

"He's not dead!" Jason argued. Bruce turned away from the computer to give Jason his full attention, even though they had gone through this argument a few times.

"I know that."

"Then why did put up a monument? Why have you shelved his case? You've reported Dick Grayson missing, you wouldn't have done that if you believed he would come back."

"We need to be pragmatic about this, Jason. If Nightwing was alive, he would have contacted us by now."

"Not if he's being held by someone or something! And there are a number of other scenarios where he wouldn't be able to contact us too! You're ignoring all of them for the simple answer."

"And you are ignoring the obvious, ignoring what the evidence says in order to believe what you want," Bruce responded, "you are putting your emotions first and that's not the kind of detective work I taught you. Not the kind of detective work I expect from you."

"There's no body. That means he's missing, not dead. The police looked for a body and didn't find one."

"Nightwing was shot. He fell into the water. If he didn't drown, he would have bled out or gained an infection from the dock water. The evidence suggests his body washed downstream."

Jason wanted to smash something.

"You're giving up on him? On Dick?"

"Joker escaped from Arkham. We need to catch him."

Jason growled and turned away. Yes, they needed to catch the Joker but, he thought his missing brother was important too.

"You handle the Joker then. I'm going to visit the Titans."

* * *

**Titans**  (Jaytodd2012)

Robin ignored the sad looks and the apologies. All he was interested in was what happened.

"There's nothing there," Cyborg said as he gave Robin access to the computers. "I've looked. The criminal refuses to speak and we have no footage of the incident."

"There are other things to look at," Robin responded.

"But-"

"Let him look," Roy Harper said, appearing in the doorway. "At least someone's doing something about Dick's disappearance."

"Roy," Cyborg said in a scolding tone. Jason knew that tone, heard a darker variation from Batman earlier that week.

"Hey, Roy!" he called, interrupting whatever it was Cyborg was about to add, "how about you lend me a hand? Besides, I want to go and see where Dick vanished."

"Right, I'll take you," Roy responded, rushing over and guiding Robin out. "What are you hoping to find?"

"Witness statements or something," Robin responded. "Someone, somewhere must have seen or know something."

"Just so you know," Roy commented to him as they left, "not all of us have given up."

* * *

**Determination**  (Ki-Chan Riker)

 _"You handle the Joker then,"_  Jason had said. He regretted that comment with all his heart. No matter what Babs said, no matter how much she insisted he wasn't at fault; the Joker had already been heading her way as Jason had left Gotham and Batman and Robin wouldn't have stopped him in time either way.

The Joker shot her. Barbara Gordon was wheelchair-bound. Maybe she would walk again, one day.  _Maybe... maybe... one day_. They said it softly, as if calming her. They told her it was unlikely but not impossible.

Tim growled at the nurse who told Barbara, "you'll have to work hard on physiotherapy for years and even then, you'll probably only be able to move a toe."

Standing right in front of the nurse, he had said, "it's like you want her to give up! But it's not going to work because she's Ba-Barbara Gordon!"

Jason had laughed when Babs told him about that. Tiny Tim scaring off a fully-grown nurse with just a bat-glare and 'the words of a teenage fanboy'.

In her words, "it was adorable."

They both knew he had wanted to say Batgirl, intended to say Batgirl until he recalled who he was speaking too.

Jason silently agreed though. If anyone was determined enough to walk again one day, one day far into the future and only if she worked really, really hard, it was Barbara Gordon.

* * *

**Content** (not paranoid enough)

It wasn't perfect but it was good. Jason would wake up in the morning and be treated to an Alfred-made breakfast (and toast). Dick would be half-asleep at the table with a coffee in his hand and a bowl of cereal in front of him. He seemed better these days, not as tense or distracted while in the manor. Jason was hoping Dick would move out of Jason's room and into his own soon. Tim would sometimes stumble up from the cave and both Jason and Dick would scold him for working too hard. On the days when Tim retired in his own room, he would sleep in and wake up after Jason finished breakfast.

Jason no longer felt the need to stockpile food in case it was his last meal for a while. He had stockpiles, he just didn't feel the need to have them. It was a 'be prepared' and still possessing a teenager's appetite thing and not an action born of desperate street living as a child.

Bruce was similar to Tim. He was either working or sleeping in the morning.

* * *

**Lunch** (not paranoid enough)

Commissioner Jim Gordon didn't like giving up his lunch break for a meeting. However, Tim Drake was a friend of his daughter's and the teenager was insisting on this meeting.

This 'please don't tell anyone' meeting. He walked in and tried to locate the teenager. He heard him before he saw him.

"Okay, tell me which one is the Commissioner." That one was Tim.

"You expect me to know? I don't remember, Tim." The voice caused Jim to pause. He knew that voice. He had silently cursed that voice when it told him it would have his daughter back by midnight or whatever promise it was making while he was engaging in relations with Barbara.

But, Dick was a missing person and what did he mean by 'I don't remember'.

"You're a cop. I'm not asking you to remember. I'm asking you to deduce."

Jim turned just as Dick described him, finishing with a hesitant, "I've seen pictures in the paper."

Jim tried to act calm as he walked over and sat down across from the boys. It was only because he spent nights facing down the Batman that he managed it.

"Tim. Dick?" he said, making the second name into a question.

Dick look nervous. He held his hands tightly clasped on the table and was staring at him.

"Er... yes, sir. I'm Dick Grayson and I'm part of the Bludhaven police force. It's nice to meet you, Commissioner."

Jim looked to Tim for an explanation. Tim passed him a file. Medical records. Bullet wound, infection, fever, possible brain damage turning into complete loss of memories accumulated before the incident.

"Amnesia?" Jim questioned with a raised eyebrow, looking to Dick.

Dick nodded.

"I woke up with only a name, I wasn't sure it was mine-"

"It's yours," Tim said confidently and then explained to Jim, "we tested his DNA."

Dick seemed disturbed by that and Jim was oddly sympathetic. He wouldn't like to learn that he was some long-lost adoptive son of a billionaire either.

Jim didn't think Bruce was the kind of man who would want his sons to join the police force or military, just like how Jim didn't want his daughter following in his footsteps. Bruce, despite appearances, knew how dangerous the work was. It was one of the reasons the billionaire donated safety gear to them every few years.

"I doubt you called me here just to have Dick's missing persons case closed."

"Right," Tim confirmed with a nod. "We told you Dick's an officer in Bludhaven, right?"

"It's not good down there," Dick said, "I had to escape when follow officers tried to kill me."

Jim knew that Bludhaven was bad for officers but this news made his gut freeze. The thought that it happened to someone he knew, someone his daughter knew, was horrifying. What if they had managed to kill him? If they had learnt that Dick had been alive, one city over, and had been killed by corrupt cops?

"Alright. Personally, I can't do anything," he said, "and honestly, I have my hands full with Gotham. However, I can contact people who can help you investigate-"

"Like Batman?" Dick said. Jim hid his reaction to the tone in Dick's voice. Resigned, disappointed and annoyed.

"I meant Internal Affairs," Jim said. In any other officer, he would have enjoyed the embarrassment as they realised he didn't just rely on the Batman for everything. However, this was Dick. If Jim's suspicions were correct, then this was sadly out of character behaviour for him.

"Sorry," Dick mumbled. That wasn't how Dick used to apologise either. This Dick bowed his head a little, like he expected to be reprimanded even though he apologised.

"Not a problem," Jim said, "I'll bring the Batman up to speed but it's not really his area. Although, I heard that Red Hood's out there and even Red Robin visits."

"I don't think this should be the Red Hood's issue. We were ordered to shoot him on sight."

Jim winced. He could see how Dick got himself into trouble now. He had refused to play the game or they noticed his reluctance to play the game and decided to get rid of him before he got rid of them.

"Do you want me to pass this to Batman as well? At least, he can keep an eye on the Internal Affairs people."

"It's up to you," Dick responded, his voice a little stronger. "You are the one who turned the Gotham police into a mostly well-trusted force."

"I had help," Jim responded automatically. "On that note, do you know any officers in Bludhaven who are perhaps in a similar situation to yourself?" A good cop in a bad place.

"I can give you a few names. And the names of the officers who tried to kill me."

"That's all I need," Jim said with a smile. He couldn't help asking, "and have you seen Barbara yet?" It was a reflex, really. Had he known the confused look he would receive and the innocent, "who's Barbara?" that would be spoken, he wouldn't have said a thing. He managed to ignore Tim's panicked and horrified look and salvage the situation by saying, "she's my daughter. Sharp as a tack, by which I mean, she's a genius. I reckon you'll like her."

Dick gave Tim as hesitant glance, as if he expected some kind of trick. Tim carefully schooled his face into a bored expression, as if this conversation had nothing to do with him. Although, he made tiny nodding motions with his head.

"I guess I could. Maybe," Dick said hesitantly.

* * *

**Flight**  (oldmythologies)

Dick eyed the trapeze in Bruce's gym with some envy. He wanted to try it but wasn't sure if he would be allowed. He wanted to fly through the air.

He wondered who it belonged to but also knew the answer was probably himself. He glanced down the hall outside, both ways. It was deserted.

He really wanted to try the trapeze. On some of his trips to Gotham and even back in Bludhaven, when he was tired of pretending to search for a past he didn't care for, he would look at videos of people on the trapeze (among other things).

What would one flight hurt?


	6. Meetings and Some Friends

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> With Dick's return, we see the Batman Family expand out. Clark visits and Cass joins the family. On that note: I'm not touching the 'No Man's Land' storyline because I haven't read the comics. I did try and write it but it wasn't working for me. Anyway, I hope you enjoy.

**Meetings and Some Friends**

* * *

**Baseball**  (Ki-Chan Riker)

Jason sighed as Bruce tossed the football to him.

"You don't like this?" Bruce questioned curiously.

"I'd rather be out beating up criminals than passing a ball around. I don't even like football," Jason grumbled.

Bruce eyed the bandages on Jason's still recovering body and Jason insisted he was fine and all better.

"No patrol, Alfred's orders," Bruce pointed out. It was also Alfred's suggestion that he toss the football around with Jason. "Alright, Jason. What sport do you like?"

Jason thought about it for a moment, spinning the football around in the air.

"Baseball?" he suggested, thinking about images of people hitting balls with bats and running around. He really wanted to hit something.

He also picked it because he didn't think Bruce had baseballs or gloves (it was a special kind of glove, right? He wasn't sure).

To his surprise, Bruce smiled and nodded and went inside for a few moments before coming out with a baseball and a couple of gloves.

"I liked tossing a ball with my dad," Bruce explained when Jason said something about him always being prepared.

Jason smiled for the first time that day and Bruce tried not to think about how close he had come to losing that smile, to losing Jason.

* * *

 **Found**  (Sapphire Roz)

Clark Kent walked up the Wayne Manor driveway Sunday, right after lunch. He rang the doorbell and greeted Alfred politely as Ma taught him to. Then he was guided to where Bruce was eating lunch.

Bruce looked up at him with the flat expression he held when he knew why you were there. Or was pretending to know, Clark couldn't figure that part out.

"I heard you found him."

Bruce sighed.

"Yes and no," he answered.

Clark didn't understand.

"How do you find someone but not?" It was how he interpreted Bruce's answer. It didn't make any sense. Unless, maybe they were too late. "He's not... dead, is he, Bruce?" Dick couldn't be dead. The League was already strained by Batman's almost departure and Dick's death might cause the Batman family to completely retreat into the shadows of Gotham.

"Good morning, Mr. Wayne," Clark turned at the sound of a familiar voice. "Oh! Sorry, I didn't notice you had a guest."

"Don't lie, Dick," Bruce said clearly, "you realised he was here the moment he entered the manor."

Clark was excited by the sight of familiar dark hair and sparkling blue eyes but also confused by how they were acting. Dick wasn't smiling or joking and Clark had never heard him refer to Bruce as 'Mr. Wayne'.

Dick gave him a shy smile and ran a hand through his messy hair.

"Yeah. Hi. I'm Dick Grayson or are you one of the people who already know that?"

"I-what?" Clark questioned. "Of course I know you, Dick!" He was baffled by the way Dick winced at that statement. "Why? What's going on?"

Bruce and Dick shared a look. Bruce motioned to himself and inclined his head. Dick shook his head and rolled his shoulders. Whatever passed between them, it meant that Dick spoke next.

"I'm a police officer from Bludhaven, staying with Mr. Wayne while Commissioner Gordon investigates my department on suspicions of corruption, attempted murder and murder. I also woke up in the hospital one day with no memories so I have no idea who you are, sorry." This was all said in an official, detached way.

"No memories?"

"He doesn't remember anything from before he went missing," Bruce clarified.

Clark was so shocked, his heart stopped for a moment. He could hear the quick, nervous beating of Dick's and the slow, controlled beat of Bruce's.

His brain-to-mouth filter must have shorted out as well because he spoke his first thought to Bruce, "why don't you have J'onn look at him?"

"J'onn?" Dick questioned and Clark heard his heart stop. Dick slowly turned to Bruce. "Wasn't he in your files? Martian Manhunter, alien with telepathic-like abilities?"

Bruce slowly inclined his head, mouth twisting into a worried frown.

"Dick, I wouldn't subject you to that unless you asked," he said. Clark swallowed when Bruce turned an icy glare his way. "Clark, get out. I'll attend the next meeting to discuss this with you." Clark figured the rest of the League would have a heart attack. Usually they had to invite the Batman with an open case if they wanted him to attend. Even then, it was fifty-fifty on whether Batman would turn up or whether they would find him trying to solve the problem by himself.

"He doesn't have to leave," Dick said. Clark turned back to him and Dick withdrew into himself a little. "If he doesn't want to. Nice to meet you, Clark..."

"Kent," Clark supplied, "Clark Kent. I'm a reporter for the Daily Planet in Metropolis."

Dick relaxed a little and even looked impressed.

"Wow, you came a long way to see Bruce."

"He's Superman," Bruce reminded Dick, looking slightly disappointed that the young man didn't realise that.

"I knew that," Dick muttered, the tips of his ears tinting pink. "I just don't care."

"You keep saying that," Bruce muttered under his breath, at a volume only Clark's super-hearing could pick up.

* * *

 **Network**  (Kessy Rods)

"I don't think this is what Commissioner Gordon had in mind when he suggested I meet his daughter," Dick mused as he looked around at all the computers in the large room. They were in the Clocktower where the computer whiz and intelligence expert Oracle was supposed to be.

Dick didn't realise that Oracle and Barbara Gordon were the same people. Jason laughed at that.

"You put me and Red Hood together in an instant but you have trouble with Babs and Oracle?"

"Shut up," Dick replied. It wasn't every eloquent but he wasn't feeling very eloquent. He was feeling tricked. "Does Commissioner Gordon know about this?"

"Donno," Jason shrugged, "probably not."

"Actually, I believe my father suspects, if not knows. He just doesn't want to confirm it," Barbara Gordon said as she wheeled into the room. "And what are you doing here, Jaybird?" Jason muttered, 'not you too' but she continued without paying it any mind, "the sun hasn't set yet and who's your friend? Is he the guy Bats is letting onto the Bat Cave computer? The one so interested in what's going on in Bludhaven?"

"Wait. No one told you?" Jason questioned as he felt Dick step into view behind him. He could see the way Babs froze, her green eyes widening as her mouth parted and formed a familiar name she hadn't said in ages. Her arms moved as if she wanted to step out of the chair but returned to her lap after touching the edge of her chair as she remembered that she couldn't run to him and check that he was real.

"Nice to meet you, Miss Gordon," Dick said politely. "I asked Jason if he could introduce me to you."

* * *

 **Detail**  (CaraLee)

Babs tore into Jason.

"You found him and he doesn't remember  _us_! I'd think those details are important! How am I supposed to watch over you lot if you don't inform me of these things!"

"Hey, I wasn't in charge of telling anyone," Jason said with a shrug and a smile. He didn't seem the least bit bothered by her anger. Unlike Dick, who was getting more and more annoyed that they were talking about him like he wasn't here. "And I didn't tell anyone when I found him because he had a life there Babs!"

"Don't call me ' _Babs'_! You're in a lot of trouble, Jason Todd!"

"Why?" Dick questioned in a scathing tone. He glared down at the woman in the chair with cold eyes. "Why is he in trouble? Because he didn't tell you about me? Fine. He didn't tell you he was bringing a friend. But  _a lot of trouble?_ Get over it! I'm the one who doesn't want anyone told! I'm the one who does not want to be introduced to people who expect me to know them! Why should you get mad at him when Jason's the only one who seems to be listening to what I want?"

Barbara's mouth dropped open and she couldn't help the tears and hurt she felt. This was not how she imagined seeing Dick again. If she was honest, she imagined yelling at him for making them all worry.

Dick blinked, snapping out of his anger now that he had aired some of his feelings. He couldn't remember ever being that angry before.

"Sorry," he sighed, automatically kneeling by her chair. "I think the stress of the past few days is starting to get to me."

Jason wondered what the point of getting angry was, if he was just going to apologise right after.

"You worried us," Barbara said, stroking a hand through his hair. Dick flinched at the touch but didn't pull away. His eyes were tired and his body slumped. "All of us. Even if you don't remember us, we missed you. We worried about you. Enjoy that love for a bit and let us get to know you again."

Dick couldn't deny the point she made.

"You're very 'no nonsense' aren't you, Babs?" he questioned with a teasing grin.

"I run this place, boy," Babs responded with an equally teasing grin. "There's no room for nonsense here."

"Can we do something else?" Jason asked. "I don't want to watch you two flirt."

Dick jumped away from Barbara's chair like he had been shocked, ears tinting pink as he looked to Jason. Jason grinned at his reaction.

"Flirt-?" he questioned in a chocked voice.

Babs just tossed an escrima stick at Jason's head.

* * *

 **Salad**  (CaraLee)

Clark Kent was naturally clumsy. He guess it could be worse, at least he wasn't breaking things with his unnatural strength when he hit them.

He bumped into the edge of the photocopier and dropped his copies with a curse.

"Here, let me help," a familiar voice said as a tanned hand started gathering up the fallen papers.

Clark was surprised to see Dick here. In Metropolis. In his workplace.

"Dick?" he questioned.

"Hi, Clark," the man responded with a hesitant smile.

"How did you get here?"

"I had Tim fly me. I wanted to apologise for how I acted when we met and ask you a few questions."

"I should apologise as well. I don't think I would like the thought of having someone go through my head either."

"Nah. It's alright. The only reason I knew who J'onn was is because I was looking through the files for someone who might be able to fix me."

Clark might not be a detective but he could see the slouch in Dick's shoulders, the hung head and the heavy tone. It hurt.

"Dick, you don't need to be fixed."

"Tell that to anyone, anyone at all who worked with Nightwing. They all think I should be him. Tim's asked when I'm going to take up the mantle again. Bruce lets me into the cave, lets me listen in on their patrols and read his files because he wants me back out there. Barbara is actually pretty cool except for the looks she gives me when she thinks I'm not looking. She misses him."

"No one likes being forgotten, Dick," Clark pointed out, able to sum up his feelings on the subject. "I wish you could remember me as well. But, I respect the person you are and… you know what, this isn't the place to talk. Let's go get lunch."

"Lunch?"

"Yeah. We'll get a salad or something and talk about your options."

"A salad?" Dick questioned in disbelief. "I want Chinese."

"Chinese then," Clark shrugged.

* * *

 **Assassin**  (Ki-Chan Riker)

No one had any idea where she came from. Cassandra Cain just appeared in Gotham and offered her assistance to the Batman before being led to Oracle. If Bruce had any idea what would make an assassin travel to Gotham to work under him, he was not telling.

* * *

 **Wish**  (CaraLee)

If Dick could make a wish, it would be for his family to stop fighting crime during the night. He didn't know why (or why they were his family in his thoughts) but the way his heart raced when he heard certain criminals escaped and the way he didn't relax until they all reported home at night suggested that he wanted them to be safe.

If Jason could make a wish, it would be for… he doesn't really know. Jason didn't have any wishes. He was Red Hood, lived with Bruce and his brothers (for now), fought crime and had a pretty cool family (not that he'd tell them). He had everything he could wish for and more and anything else, he could get under his own power.

If Tim could make a wish, it would be for Dick to have his memories back. He thought it was a rather selfless wish because Dick would probably go back to ignoring his existence. Jason said that Dick had been afraid to get attached. Memory-less Dick might preach a lot about the heroics they engaged in but, he spent time with all of them. Dick tried to stay out of their night work but Tim thought that if Dick got his memories back, then he would be able to re-join the family without the barrier of what they did at night.

Cass got a wish. In the form of a psychic.

"What is 'a wish'?" she asked Barbara, in the slow careful words she was still getting used to. Before the psychic, she had only understood body language. She had only been able to communicate with body language and pictures.

"A wish is something you want," Barbara tried to explain. "Something you can't get or something you need to work for. A wish is like hope."

"Wish is like hope," Cass pondered. "What is hope?"

"A feeling. Like want or trust. I guess the best example of hope is wanting everyone to be safe or trusting everyone to be safe."


	7. Spoilers and Brothers

**Spoilers and Brothers**

* * *

**Assassination**  (CaraLee)

Dick moved. His body flipped, arched and kicked off walls. He swung over railings and leapt over tables. He moved high and low, whatever it took to dodge the blade being wielded by the assassin.

"Who are you?" Dick demanded to know as he flipped backwards off the table.

"Do you not even remember that, Grayson?" the man in orange and black questioned in an amused tone which really annoyed Dick. Obviously this guy knew about his amnesia but he was purposely not explaining anything. "I'm Deathstroke the Terminator and there's a contract on your head."

Now, that was interesting. Dick could only think of a few people who would put a contract out on him. He really hoped this could be a link to the corrupt in Bludhaven.

But first, he needed to take this assassin down. He flipped over Deathstroke and pulled out his gun while he was in the air. The moment he landed, he shot him in the chest.

Deathstroke's body shuddered on impact with the bullet and he dropped to the floor, blood staining the front of his uniform. He would live, Dick purposely didn't shoot right at his heart. However, Dick had also noted his advanced healing abilities which honestly freaked him out more than the assassin trying to kill him.

"A… gun…?" Deathstroke wheezed out.

"I'm a cop," Dick pointed out, "and this certainly falls under self-defence. You were coming at me with a sword!" He pulled out his phone and called the police while Deathstroke watched him.

"You've changed," the assassin commented in a soft voice. "Never… would have shot me… before." Dick just stood there silently. "And… I can't shake the feeling… this should have been easy… were you holding back before?"

"I honestly can't answer that," Dick responded just as Alfred came into the kitchen.

"Richard, what happened?" Alfred asked, taking in the gun in Dick's hand and the assassin bleeding out on the floor.

"He shot me," Deathstroke stated.

"He tried to kill me!" Dick whined.

* * *

 **Brains**  (Ki-Chan Riker)

"Brains," Jason groaned like a zombie, arms wrapping around Tim's shoulders and chin planting on top of Tim's.

"Bite me and die," Tim growled. He was not in the mood, which was probably why Jason was doing whatever this was. Stupid Jason and his stupid zombie movies.

Jason let go and then plopped himself down on the computer console.

"So, Timmy, how long have you been down here?"

"Don't bother, Dick already tried," Tim said. He had been here for a while but he was certain he could crack this case.

"Yeah, I know. He called me. Come on, Tim. I have ten dollars riding on being able to get you to bed."

"Well, too bad." Tim had to stop typing as Jason lay down on his hands, like a big cat. He glared. "Go away."

"Keep in mind, if I leave, then Dick'll have his turn."

"Dick already tried."

"No. Dick tested whether you could be reasoned with. If he had been trying, you wouldn't be down here."

Tim made an unimpressed noise.

"Sirs," Alfred said suddenly, causing them both to jump. "It is far too early for either of you to be down here."

"Haven't left, Alfred," Tim explained, pulling his hands out from under Jason. Jason stood up and apologised to the butler before ducking upstairs. Tim swallowed as the butler turned to him.

"A word from me, Master Tim, and these computers shut down," Alfred reminded him. Alfred had the highest security clearance after all. "Finish up for the night, thank you."

Tim nodded.

* * *

 **Wisdom**  (Ki-Chan Riker)

Jason had to break into the Batcave. He wasn't subtle as he wanted Bruce to know he was there.

"Alright, what's going on?" he asked. Bruce had called for him after all. Bruce was dressed in the Batsuit but with the cowl down and he didn't look happy.

"Body washed up in Bludhaven," Bruce explained in his all-business voice.

Jason raised an eyebrow. It wasn't like Bruce to share information without being specifically asked for it.

"Okay. Bodies wash up all the time, what's special about this one?"

"He was an IA Officer, investigating Dick's precinct."

Jason cursed. That was not good.

"Right, any clues?" He was determined to solve this quick and get the bad guys who thought they could kill people without any retribution.

* * *

 **Big Bird**  (Ki-Chan Riker)

Tim stared. The giant stuffed bird was sitting atop Stephanie's bed.

"What. Is that?" he asked the blond teenager. It was big and yellow and he thought his reaction was appropriate.

"Why?" Stephanie questioned with a wide, mischievous smile. "Jealous?"

Tim gave her a flat look. That was not it. He wanted to know why there was a giant, yellow, stuffed bird on his sort-of-girlfriend's bed.

"No. It's ugly and takes up almost all the bed."

"Well, yeah," Stephanie agreed, "I put it on the floor when I sleep."

"Where did it come from?"

Stephanie laughed but decided to finally answer him.

"It's a present." Tim's face fell as he imagined the thing being given to his almost-girlfriend by some unknown person. "For a friend from her boyfriend. He wants me to look after it because he's afraid he'd lose it."

Tim looked at the giant object, not even able to imagine a scenario where he would accidentally lose the thing. Destroy, yes. Drop off someone far away, yes.

"Lose it?" he questioned.

Stephanie giggled.

"That's what I thought. But hey, it's only for a few days."

Tim stared at the giant stuffed bird. Later, he would be unable to tell the story without emphasising giant, yellow and stuffed. Not that it mattered, Jason would be laughing anyway.

* * *

 **Heart**  (Ki-Chan Riker)

Deathstroke escaped. Dick had been expecting it but it still hurt to hear. They hadn't gotten any information from him.

"Don't give up yet," Commissioner Gordon told him.

"I'm not giving up," Dick responded. "I'm just bored. Sitting here and waiting doesn't feel right to me." He caught the look Commissioner Gordon gave him. "You're not talking about Deathstroke, are you?"

Commissioner Gordon sighed and nodded. He pulled out some papers and handed them to Dick.

"The IA officer turned up in Bludhaven's river this morning. He's dead."

Dick's heart plummeted. The IA officer had been there for him. Because of him. Now he was dead.

* * *

 **Wing**  (Kessy Rods)

Dick jumped over the rooftops, feeling oddly at home as he made his way to Bludhaven.

There had to be a way to make a dent in Bludhaven's crime. There were beatings in the street. People dying and the police couldn't do anything to help.

"Wait," a voice said softly but strong. Dick paused on the roof and turned to see Cass stepping out of the shadows. "Your plan is what?"

Dick shifted. His plan made him a hypocrite. Breaking into Bludhaven's police station for whatever evidence he could find. His focus was on the Chief. He hoped that taking him out of office, hopefully in disgrace, would allow change to begin.

"I see," Cass said with a nod. She reached into her utility belt and pulled out a mask. "Here."

Dick held up his hands. He didn't need anything like that.

"Take," Cass ordered.

Dick shook his head. The Chief already wanted him dead, covering his eyes wouldn't get him anything.

"Take the mask, alright," another female voice said as a teenager in purple climbed onto the roof. She grunted as she pulled herself up with effort. Dressed in purple and some black, she dusted herself off and nodded to Cass who was Batgirl.

"Um... you are?"

"I'm Spoiler! Didn't RR tell you about me?"

"RR?"

"Red Robin!" Spoiler said. "Timmy's my friend. You're Dick, right? Nice to meet you!" Dick wondered if they had met before. "We haven't met before. You barely spent any time with Tim before vanishing."

"Really?" Dick couldn't imagine that. Tim was a smart kid and Dick liked spending time with them. "Why?"

Spoiler shrugged.

"We're getting off topic. You know RR and the rest are out looking for you, right?"

"I don't care," Dick sighed, the line lacking bite.

Batgirl winced and pointed to her ear.

"Oracle," she said. "Wants know if you are Oh. Kay."

"I'm fine," Dick said, "I'm just going back to Bludhaven."

"Cool! Count me in!" Spoiler said. Dick didn't think he could bring her along. Not into danger and not when an IA officer had already lost his life.

"Mask," Cass reminded them, waving it before them.

"I don't need it," Dick said.

"But, if you get caught, won't people go after Timmy?" Spoiler questioned. "And what about Red Hood?"

Dick paused. His mind came up with reasons it was a bad idea and didn't make as much sense as the girls thought.

"Take," Batgirl ordered, her voice cutting off his thoughts. With an annoyed expression, she pressed the mask to his face. Dick went stiff as she stood on tip-toes to press the smooth textile to his face. He didn't move as her fingers pressed lightly around his eyes and the bridge of his nose.

She dropped back down and stared at him, head tilted as she took in her work.

"Missing something," she mused.

Spoiler stepped forward with a smile.

"Let me?" she questioned and Dick sighed, bowing his head.

"Ow," he whined as her hand practically clawed his hair as she mussed it up.

"There! Since you always wear your hair neat."

Batgirl nodded her agreement and pulled out a can of hairspray. She sprayed Dick's hair so that it would stay mussed up.

"You carry hairspray?" Spoiler questioned in surprise.

Batgirl demonstrated by pulling out a lighter and making a flamethrower.

"Useful," she explained, smiling in amusement at Dick's and Spoiler's shock. "Jason showed me."

Spoiler recovered first, moving to the edge of the roof.

"Alright, 'Wing, let's go?"

"Wing?" Dick questioned in horror. Spoiler smirked back at him.

"I'm not calling 'Dick' over rooftops, it's stupid."

"It's my name," Dick muttered.

"And I'm not going to call you Nightwing unless you want me to. So 'Wing. Deal with it."

"Deal with it," Batgirl echoed.

* * *

 **Strength**  (Ki-Chan Riker)

It took more than strength to train surf. It was balance. Dick's body moved with the train as he leapt on. Batgirl landed behind him. Spoiler dropped in behind her and stumbled.

"Oh, this is cool!" Spoiler cheered, although her voice was wavering.

Dick crouched low and settled in to enjoy the ride. Batgirl shifted and used her body to show Spoiler how to move.

* * *

 **Begging**  (Kessy Rods)

Bruce stared at the logo on the screen.

"Why should I?" the digitised voice asked. "I didn't even know he was alive until he turned up in my tower."

Bruce placed his head in his hands. They had returned from patrol, only to find Dick missing. Alfred said Dick received a phone call which he retreated into privacy to answer. There had been nothing from Dick after that.

"He's vanished," Bruce said, "he's vanished and I have everyone I can out looking but I haven't heard from any of them. Come on, Barbara, give me something."

Oracle was silent for a few moments.

"Fine," she relented. "My sources say he's heading for Bludhaven."

Bruce breathed a sigh of relief that Dick was safe. Then he transmitted the information to Red Robin and Red Hood.

* * *

 **Bench**  (Kessy Rods)

_Takes place before Wisdom (Ki-Chan Riker)._

At age 83, Agatha had well outlasted the average lifespan of a Gothamite. Not that she was going to curl over and die because of it; you don't get to age 83 in Gotham by rolling over and letting life do whatever.

She stalked through the park on her weekly walk home from the prison, where she taught a knitting class every week (despite everyone in her family telling her to stop), and sat down on her favourite bench. She ignored the young man in the biker jacket. As long as he didn't bother her, she wouldn't bother him.

His dark hair was straight and hung slightly over his faded blue eyes, they were sort of like a clear winter's sky, which were focused on the distance. He looked sad but everyone was sad in some way.

They sat there in silence for a while. When Agatha got out her bread to feed the birds heading their way, the young man turned and smiled at her.

"Share a slice?" he asked and she entertained the idea that he was homeless and hungry, despite his well-kept appearance. The bread was stale and she didn't mind handing him a piece.

He smiled a little wider, showing off white teeth and his cheeks almost dimpling as he crumbled the bread up in one hand and tossed it gently to the birds.

Agatha was smitten. She spotted a few scars on his arms and decided he was polite and a fighter, the kind of young man she liked to see.

If he didn't leave before she did, she thought she might like to take him home herself.

"Jason!" a teenager called out. This one was a little less well-kept. His hair was messy but short and his face flushed as he ran over. His eyes were red like he had been crying. Or trying not to cry. "Jason! Jason!"

"What?" the young man, Jason, snapped. "You scared off the birds, Replacement."

The teenager's face fell, possibly as a result of the nickname (at least, she hoped it was a nickname but some parents were crazy).

"You ran away." He sounded heartbroken.

"I left a note," Jason said, trying to sound untouchable.

"You ran away," the teenager sniffed again. "Yes, we have Dick back but that doesn't mean we don't need you! Who's going to trade information with me if you leave?"

"See Oracle," Jason shrugged. Agatha wondered if this was some kind of video game or something they were talking about. She hoped the teenager wasn't pulling at straws while trying to get Jason to go home.

"But, Oracle doesn't just work with Tim," another voice, older and smoother said from behind them. Agatha jumped and turned, wondering when this man snuck up behind them.

"Dick!" Jason cried out, "you scare nice old ladies with that move!"

Agatha shared a glance with both of the young men. The one who scared her apologised and shook her hand, kissing it when he was done.

A young gentleman he was. Agatha blushed at the courtesy, rarely seen in Gotham except when the rich and fancy get together.

"Jason, you have to come back," he said to Jason in a very insistent tone.

"Why?" Jason said. "I'll get a place of my own and I'll still be able to work with Tim."

"Really?" the teenager, Tim, mumbled. He didn't sound like he believed Jason. "Because I didn't think so. I thought you were leaving forever."

"Don't leave, Jason," the young man insisted again, "I'll probably shot Bruce if I'm left alone with him without you."

"Unlikely," Jason responded and Tim nodded in agreement.

"Although I really hate seeing them argue," Tim added with a hopeful glance at Jason. "Bruce wants Dick to work with us but Dick doesn't want to and they're not going to reach an agreement anytime soon."

"That's why I need you, Jay!" the young man, whose name actually appeared to be Dick, whined. "You're the only one who respects the person I am now."

"I respect you," Tim muttered but he was looking at his feet like he knew he was missing something but didn't understand what.

"I," Jason seemed to waver, "no. I'm leaving. Maybe I'll head to Metropolis or something."

"Clark will bring you back," Tim pointed out.

"Then New York! I'll stay with Donna for a few weeks."

"But, Jay, you're our brother, you can't just leave," Dick said.

All three froze. Jason and Tim stared at Dick as if he had said something unbelievable. Dick broke contact first, staring at his hands.

"Sorry. I know I wasn't adopted before-" he stopped talking as Jason wrapped him in a hug.

"Forget that. You're our brother too, Dick," Tim said, still looking shell-shocked.

"Never heard you say it before," Jason muttered hoarsely into Dick's ear.

"Will you stay?" Dick asked, sounding younger than before.

"Please?" Tim added in a whine.

Jason let Dick go and looked between his two brothers. Then he heaved a sigh.

"Fine. Let's go home."

"Awesome! Alfred's doing a French soup with bread and I've never had French soup before," Tim cheered as they walked off.

Jason laughed.

"If you had told me that before, I would have come home right away! I wouldn't turn down Alfred's soup!"

 Agatha smiled as she watched them go. She thought they were a nice family. Her own boys, one with boys of his own, could learn a lot from them.


	8. Fears and Flowers

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Notes: I'm not happy with some of these ones but, they're alright so I decided I was being too hard on myself. No, Dick doesn't remember (but he might not have lost all of his memories, some things survived, like his name). 
> 
> Important notes: Please don't leave me any more words. I have over 100 words to continue this story will and I will ask for more if I start to run out before the story ends. Comments and Kudos are appreciated!
> 
> Also, there's a lot of emotional hurting Dick ahead.

 

**Fears and Flowers**

* * *

**Picture**  (Kessy Rods)

Dick stared at the picture on Tim's shelf. It showed a little kid who was probably a young Tim, another kid and four adults. The other kid and two of the adults were dressed in leotards.

He picked it up. There was something about this picture. He stared at it closer and the light hit it in just a way to make the glass mirror his reflection.

The older man in the leotard looked like him! The picture dropped as Dick's stomach did. It shattered as it hit the ground.

The people in the picture were strangers. He didn't recognise them! But he also couldn't deny their similarities.

There hadn't been any photos of the Graysons in the old articles Dick had tracked down. He hadn't felt anything reading their names.

But seeing their faces, faces he couldn't remember... Dick's hands covered his face, brushing away tears that wouldn't stop coming. Just that momentary glimpse of what they looked like hurt more than he could ever had expected. More than names printed on paper, their smiling faces and the wide smile of his younger self had driven home how he would never know what they were like. What he had been like.

He locked himself in the nearest empty room and lost track of time as he gave into despair for a few hours.

* * *

**Roots**  (MiriB)

Dick jimmied the window open, which should not have been as easy as it was. He stepped into the office of the Bludhaven Police Chief and tried not to freak out. This was dangerous and he had brought two girls with him. Even though he thought that Cass could handle herself, he didn't want anyone getting hurt because they had followed him.

He motioned for Steph to search the filing cabinet, Cass to watch the door and he walked over to the desk to search for evidence. The desk looked neat but paper had been piled in an order Dick couldn't understand (or was just a mess).

Spoiler gasped and Dick spun around. She was looking at a case report.

"Let me see that," he ordered and she flinched, pulling it away for a moment before handing it to him.

"You're not going to like it," she sighed.

He didn't. It was a report on the IA officer's death. Ruled an unfortunate murder, wrong place and wrong time. The Chief made promises that they would attempt to track the culprit down however, made excuses like 'it was probably a random mugging'. There could be evidence otherwise.

Dick knew where he could get answers or a point in the right direction however they would shoot him before telling him anything.

"Maybe we should see if Oracle's had any luck?" Spoiler suggested hopefully, perhaps interpreting his silence as an inability to figure this out. Dick could use that.

"Yeah. Sure," Dick responded. He rubbed the back of his neck, a nervous habit. "Um... do you mind if I go and check out where I used to live. This place is where I've been since I woke up with nothing. It's my city."

The girls exchanged a look. Spoiler shrugged, willing to let him but Black Bat hesitated before nodding. Dick was worried about that but his plan would work even if they followed him.

* * *

**Invitation**  (MiriB)

Dick's plan was simple. Walk around Bludhaven. He pulled on his uniform, put on his hat and walked the streets of the Haven as an off-duty cop. He dropped into Hogan's and talked to the man himself.

"Clancy's makin' it. Not much other choice here in 'Haven," Hogan said. He was still giving Dick strange looks, like he couldn't believe he was still around. Hogan had told him that most of the police force believed he had died or vanished, as cops tended to do in Bludhaven.

Dick hummed thoughtfully into his drink.

"Worst of it is that Red Hood guy went back to Gotham. Think he realised Bludhaven's not worth it?"

"Unlikely," Dick muttered in annoyance. Jason was the one who Bruce kept in the loop about Bludhaven.

Hogan raised an eyebrow.

"Sounds like you know something."

Dick hummed non-committedly.

"You're not going to tell me, are you?"

"What's so great about the masks anyway?" Dick complained. "Ever since Red Hood turned up, my life has been destroyed, bit by bit."

"You've also started drinking," Hogan commented with a pointed look at Dick's glass. Dick smirked at that. Anyone watching might think he was getting drunk but, he had been slipping the alcohol away using various tricks he somehow knew and pretending to be drunk.

Although he meant what he said about Red Hood.

 

"So, what? I don't get an invitation to the party?" Red Hood quipped as he dropped between Dick and Scarecrow.

"Go away!" Scarecrow ordered, stamping his foot. "The cop's MY test subject."

Dick gagged. The green gas felt like it was sticking to the roof of his mouth. It was foul and made him heave. His vision flickered like a bad TV connection and sound muffled and grew and he heard things which probably weren't there.

_'Not good enough.'_

Dick jolted around, staring at the empty alleyway where he thought the voice had come from. Hands grabbed him and his heart jumped. He shoved them away but they didn't let go.

"Dick!"

"No!" he slapped Jason away. "Get away from me!"

"Dick? Dick, did he gas you? Focus!" Jason kept talking and Dick tried to scramble away.

 _'Useless Rookie!_ ' Amy. Why was she here?

His heart was thudding away in his chest like a jackhammer.

 _'Maybe I made a mistake,'_  it was Jason's voice. But, it wasn't hesitant like the last time Dick heard it. It was strong and angry. 'Maybe you're not who I was looking for.'

 _'Figures. Can't do detective work worth a dime.'_  The Chief! Dick flinched, his hand hitting something hard.

Dick's chest heaved. He had no idea where he was or what was going on but he knew something wasn't right.

 _'Do you? You don't remember enough to know,'_  Bruce commented, looking coldly down at him.

A shot burning through his body. A smiling criminal. They had got him, hadn't they? Water, he was underwater. Air as bubbles trailed away from him.

He had thought he could be a detective and help...

_'Can't do detective work worth a dime. What are you doing here, Grayson?'_

* * *

**Conniption**  (yangires)

Dick had been gassed by Scarecrow. Red Hood noticed too late. It wasn't until Dick started twitching and gagging on the ground that he knew he had to leave Scarecrow while he took care of the more immediate problem.

He couldn't lose Dick again. He had just gotten him back.

"Dick!" he said, grabbing the other man.

"No!" he slapped Jason away. "Get away from me!"

Jason was surprised at the strength in Dick's hands and words. Dick had his arms covering his face, as if he expected Jason to hit him.

"Dick?" Dick was twitching and Jason couldn't tell if he heard him. "Dick, did he gas you? Focus!" Dick scrambled back, his eyes wide and terrified. Jason fumbled around his utility belt for something to knock him out. This was getting to him more than he wanted to admit. Jason had the fleeting thought that maybe he had been gassed as well.

Above him, Scarecrow watched. Jason looked up to see the criminal sitting on the edge of a fire escape, head tilted to the side as he observed Dick writhe in fear and pain. Jason followed the criminal's gaze, just in time to see Dick smack his hand hard against the brick wall.

"Hmm, what do you fear, officer?" Scarecrow asked and Jason's hand twitched towards his gun in anger. "Tell me, what do you see?"

Jason blinked and Dick was in the air. Even with his damaged hand, Dick managed to fly. He used his feet to bounce off the walls, free running his way up to where Scarecrow was perched.

"What-?" Scarecrow questioned right as a fist pounded into his face. Dick trembled and Jason wondered if it was from fear or rage.

Red Hood followed them upwards. He had to knock Dick out.

Dick pounded his good fist into Scarecrow's face a second time. And a third. Red Hood reached him in time to knock him out before he went for a fourth hit.

 _"I have to... keep going..."_  Dick breathed softly as he passed out. 

* * *

**Rope**  (Ki-Chan Riker)

The rope snapped. That's what Dick remembered reading. His eyes cracked open and he thought he could see the image of two broken bodies before him.

He had read the stories and had an idea what a fall like that could do to a body. So, the question was this; was the image (his failure, even without his memories) which haunted his nightmares and snapped him out of the fear toxin a memory or a fabrication brought on by his knowledge and imagination?

* * *

**Elephant**  (Jaytodd2012)

Dick rolled over and his knee knocked into Jason. Jason opened his eyes and scowled, glaring down at the older man.

"What are you doing, Dick?" he hissed at him.

"Wanna 'phant," Dick mumbled in his sleep. Jason sighed and looked around the room.

Steph and Cass were curled up on the end of the bed, Cass in the corner and Steph spread out over the rest of it.

The previous night had been a big Bat family operation. Even Dick had sat at the computer as a second pair of eyes to Oracle's to make sure everything went smoothly. The only hiccup of the night, or early morning as the time was when they returned, was that Tim had been hiding a cold in order to go out as Robin.

Somehow, that had led to them all hanging out in Tim's room, making sure he was okay and falling asleep there because they were too tired to walk the few metres to their own rooms.

"Sorry," Tim said from the bed when Jason's eyes locked with his.

"How long have you been up?" Jason asked. With Cass and Steph at the end of the bed, Tim had been effectively pinned down.

Tim tried to shrug from his lying down position.

* * *

**Spring**  (MiriB)

Barbara spun her chair at the sound of a knock at her door.

"Come in," she called. The door opened and the first thing she saw was a bunch of yellow, red and white flowers. Then she saw the man carrying them. "Alright, what do you want?"

Surprise flashed across Dick's face, his blue eyes widening and looking from her to the flowers and back.

"Wow. Jason was telling the truth."

"What?"

Dick jumped and shifted his weight from foot to foot.

"Jason said that if I wanted to ask you for something, I should bring you something like flowers. I admit, I thought he was joking. Is this like your pay or something?"

Barbara cursed Jason in her head. Dick sounded annoyingly innocent, reminding her that he didn't remember; not just them but other things as well.

"No. It's not like my pay. And yes, Jason was playing a joke."

Dick flinched and turned to the door, contemplating leaving before he decided to explain.

"Sorry. I guess this would be awkward. And I guess I might just make it more awkward by asking: Did we date?"

"Yes."

Dick nodded at her blunt and almost instantaneous response.

"Are we friends? Or do you hate me?"

"What are you talking about, Dick? Of course we're friends!" She didn't miss the way his eyes softened and his shoulders slumped in relief.

"That's good. Could I still make my request? And do you want to keep the flowers? I don't think Jason would appreciate them."

* * *

**Funny**  (MiriB)

Barbara thought it would be funny to see the look on Jason's face if Dick gave him flowers. She was treated to the sight the next day when Dick handed Jason a small bouquet of red and blue flowers with some green leaves mixed in.

Jason's eyes had gone wide, his cheeks turning rosy as he looked at the flowers.

"What the?" he questioned in a high pitched voice.

Dick winked at Babs and she laughed.

* * *

**Glove**  (MiriB)

Alfred tossed Jason a baseball glove. Jason swallowed the water he had been drinking and picked up the item curiously.

"What do you want me to do with this?"

"Distract Master Bruce, sir," Alfred said as it if was obvious.

"Distract? Not with this. Talk to Dick if you want that done." Jason tossed the glove back onto the bench.

"Master Dick is not a viable option," Alfred said. Jason's face must have displayed his disbelief because Alfred added, "he enables Master Bruce more often than not."

"Enables? How?" Jason thought about Dick's current 'we shouldn't be vigilantes' stance.

Alfred raised an eyebrow.

"If Master Dick wasn't an enabler, Robin wouldn't have existed. If he wasn't an enabler, Master Bruce would have hung up the cowl and returned to a miserable normal life as he had been planning before you provided Master Dick with the means to return."

"Okay. Don't tell Dick that."

"On the other hand, you can get Master Bruce out of the cave." Jason didn't agree with that but he shrugged and decided anyway. Truthfully, Alfred having a reason for coming to him was nice and he owed the old man to at least try.

"Hey, B!" he called as the elevator doors opened to the cave. An impressive place… for about five minutes. Jason would be the first to admit, the giant dinosaur, penny and other things got dull when you saw them every day. Except the cars. Jason would never get tired of the cars.

Bruce looked away from what he was working on to face Jason.

"Wanna help me work on my pitch?" Jason asked with a shrug, forcing as much of a casual tone as he could into the request.

Bruce considered it for a moment. He glanced back at the computer. Finally he inclined his head.

"Sure. It's going to take a few hours for this to finish anyway."

Jason grinned.


	9. Time Skip to Damian

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Notes: So a bit of a time skip here. I'll maybe reveal missed events later. Dick still lives at the manor and no, he's not doing any vigilante work beyond watching the computers every now and then. For Ballad, I tried a poem (poetry is not my strength).

 

**Time Skip to Damian**

* * *

**Grandfather**  (Jaytodd2012)

Damian ignored the look his grandfather gave him before he was shipped off to his father.

' _You will fail,'_ the look said to him.

Grandfather had already stated that he didn't think Damian would last long with the 'Detective' when Damian's mother brought up the plan.

Batman had been shorter than he expected. The man's presence slightly cowed by the way mother's monsters flanked him.

"It's not safe for him with me," mother said to father. Damian huffed at the glances they sent his way. He could handle his grandfather. "You will take him and keep him safe."

"You didn't have to go through all this to ask that," Batman growled.

* * *

 **Tempest**  (MiriB)

Damian met the rest of the family all at once. Batman called the cave and Dick Grayson, the one who forgot, had answered. Grayson could not keep a secret or so Damian suspected because he spread the news to the rest of the group.

Damian lamented the loss of his chance to take them out in surprise attacks. Now he would have to work at splitting them off before destroying them. He was going to take his rightful place at his father's side.

A storm was coming and it was him.

* * *

 **Bowtie**  (Kessy Rods)

Damian stared at his predecessor. Timothy Drake held out his hand to him.

"Umm, here on my world, we call this gesture a handshake?" he said and Damian glared at the stupid outfit he was wearing.

"Don't patronise me," he growled, slapping the hand away. "I know what a handshake is."

"Wow!" the second one, the street-rat turned vigilante, Jason Todd chucked. "Where'd you get this one, B?"

"Where did you come from?" Bruce asked, pulling off the cowl as he took in his adoptive sons' outfits.

Todd was wearing overalls which hung off him and a white shirt splattered with paint. Drake was dressed in a black shirt which was supposed to emulate a suit, with buttons, a pocket a bowtie printed on it in white. He was also wearing jeans which were torn at the knees.

"Spare room. I reckon if we do it up, we might be able to convince Dick to move in," Todd explained with a smirk. "And out of the guest room."

"And why are you wearing my old overalls?" Bruce asked.

Damian looked from Todd to his father and wondered what was going on. This father was not the person his mother had told him about. This one was smiling at the young man and teenager as they regaled him with a tale about someone named 'Alfred' and the search for the atrocities they were wearing.

"How about we show the kid to his new room?" Todd suggested, pointing a thumb at the exit to the Batcave. "He can have Grayson's, we already moved his stuff out."

Damian liked that idea. He would get the room which previously belonged to the first, a room fitting of his status as Bruce's only blood son.

He held his head up high and proud as he ordered Todd to take him to his new room.

* * *

 **Fairy Floss**  (MiriB)

It's was nothing more than pure sugar. Dick looked at it. He touched it. It was sticky and caved a little at his touch. He looked over at Barbara's pink fairy floss and wondered if the different colours had different flavours.

Not that he knew what the flavour was. He tugged a bit off and watch it fascination as it parted from the mass like pulling apart a cotton ball. He popped it into his mouth and gasped as it instantly melted on his tongue. It was like it vanished in a pop of sugary sweetness.

"You like?" Barbara asked with a happy smile as she looked up at him. His chest felt hot and he knew his neck was going red with his embarrassment.

"Uh... yeah," he responded with a smile to mirror hers. "Can I try yours?"

Barbara's head tilted in confusion but she let him have a bite.

"They taste the same," Dick mused with a thoughtful frown. Barbara laughed, thinking he made a joke. He didn't mind, it was nice to see her happy.

"This was a good idea of Tim's, wasn't it?" Barbara commented. They were sitting on the roof of the GCPD, watching the sun set beyond the tall buildings of Gotham.

Dick hummed in agreement, leaning on her chair.

"Why 'fairy floss' though?" he questioned. Tim had handed it to them after tell them to spend some time together watching the sunset.

Barbara motioned for him to come close, like she was about to tell him a great secret.

"Tim... has a secret sweet tooth."

* * *

 **Salt**  (MiriB)

It sat on the table, not so innocent. Dick was tempted to just leave it. Spilled salt was not his problem. He hadn't spilt it.

He sighed and grabbed a cloth to wipe it up.

"Well, there's a strange sight," Jason commented as he walked in.

"What do you mean by that?" Dick questioned, causing Jason to pause. He really didn't want to bring up Dick's lack of cleaning habits while he was cleaning up the salt that Jason had spilt.

"Nevermind."

* * *

 **Flying**  (Ki-Chan Riker)

The first time Damian met Grayson, the man said a quick greeting before slipping out of the cave as Bruce guided Damian towards Tim and Jason.

That was fine with Damian. Mother had told him that Grayson wasn't the man he had been. His mind had been broken and he didn't recall his time with Damian's father. Grayson would probably be the easiest to take down.

The second time Damian met Grayson, it was in the gym. Alfred had directed him to it with a scowl and a look which was close to insubordinate. Damian was going to talk to father about firing the old man and kicking him out. He entered the gym and looked around and then up.

Grayson was flying through the air, body stretched. Damian's mouth dropped open as Grayson grabbed the trapeze and flung himself across the roof with skill and precision. The man left go, twirling his body in the air and grabbing the trapeze again to swing back the other way.

Grayson dismounted with a flip, falling and spreading out just in time to grab the top bar of the bars and dismount onto the mat. He turned to Damian.

"Uh, hi?" he said, "we've not met before, right?"

"Hardly," Damain snorted, quickly hiding his awe behind his pride. "But, mother told me about you." Grayson nodded, encouraging him to go on. "About your broken memories."

Grayson twitched.

"Not. Broken," he responded. "How about you get to know me before you make that judgement?"

"So, you're saying you remember being the first Robin and being Nightwing?" Damian asked. He knew Grayson didn't and was trying to frustrate the older man. An angry opponent was easier to take down.

Grayson raised an eyebrow.

"No. But that doesn't make me broken."

"I think it does. Without those memories, you're not even a challenge," Damian smirked, shifting into a battle stance. He was going to take Grayson down. The broken one would be the easiest.

* * *

 **Wire**  (Ki-Chan Riker)

Damian got the wire around Dick's neck and pulled. It should have cut his breathing, if not his neck. However, when Damian pulled the wire, it snapped. Damian jumped back and started at surprise at the cut wire twisted around his hands.

Dick stood up, a knife in his.

"A hidden weapon?" Damian questioned in surprise.

"A gift," Dick responded, twirling the blade. "I lived in Bludhaven. While my landlady thought that I'd probably get stabbed with my own knife, she still went to the trouble to buy me one."

Damian glared. Dick twirled the knife in his hand and then hurled it at the wall. The blade sunk in with a thud and the handle quivered.

"I'm very good with knives," Dick explained, "don't know whether that's a Bat thing or a circus thing." He shrugged. "That's not the point though. The point is, you thought I would be an easy target. You  _anticipated_  someone who wouldn't know how to combat being strangled." Dick and Damian were circling each other now. Dick's smile reminded Damian of a shark.

The older man moved until he had his back at the door.

"I'm not going to tell anyone about this incident. I am going to warn them to be wary around you. Your father will not be impressed."

Damian ground his teeth and swore at Dick as he left.

* * *

 **Lights**  (Ki-Chan Riker)

Damian did not like Todd. His mother had expressed an interest for the man she described as having 'great potential'. She had never used those words for him, despite saying that he was destined to rule.

Damian did not like Drake. Drake was the 'heir' who helped run Wayne Industries. He was also Red Robin, the partner to Batman.

Damian did not like Grayson. Grayson was the first. Somehow, he was even the first when he didn't remember it.

Damian did not like how his father looked at them. His father's eyes almost seemed to light up whenever he spotted Grayson, Todd or Drake.

Damian also knew it was very different from the way father looked at him. Why? He acted in the manner which made mother proud at times. He mimicked his grandfather's attitude and his mother's disposition.

Cassandra Cain was a daughter. Damian met her two days after moving in, when Todd pulled her through the door and up to the gym to spar with him.

Damian didn't like Todd, who could spar with someone of Cassandra Cain's skill while Damian's father still insisted he be locked in his room or monitored.

* * *

 **Ballad**  (Ki-Chan Riker)

What happened in Bludhaven, it's a mess,

the night Red Hood returned.

The morning after saw an arrest, a cop who turned and turned,

He pointed to the Chief, who spluttered and raged,

They both got what they deserved.

 

The mayor aghast, his position weak,

the Batman's agents toil,

Bludhaven city Gotham did eat, the mayor kicked to the curb,

the cities now one, and in the end,

it felt like a usurp.


	10. The Batman is Dead…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Notes: This chapter title (and chapter plot) links to the next one. There's plot. Lots of plot. It just kept coming. Also, variations of heartbreaking may occur.

**The Batman is Dead…**

* * *

**Fireworks**  (Ki-Chan Riker)

To Dick, it felt like fireworks. Not the colours and excitement but the feeling of exploding and fire. The cringe at the sound and the way it rattled the body. The lethargic feeling when it all ended and the feeling that you saw something great burn out.

He had gone still at the news. Jason had to pull him into a chair just to get him to breathe.

He doesn't remember much after that. Jason said he completely spaced out.

Dick didn't know what to say. Bruce had opened his home to him, even though he didn't remember him. While Bruce had been trying to get Dick's memories back, he never threatened to toss Dick out if he didn't remember. He let Dick scold him for his vigilante activities. He let Dick move into a new room and dismantle the old one he didn't remember. He let Dick stay.

He heard Alfred tell Jason that Batman wasn't dead. That Batman couldn't die. He heard the reasons; the legend needed to live on, to strike fear in the hears of the corrupt and cowardly while bringing hope to the innocent and those who did good in Gotham and that Bruce would have wanted it this way.

Dick thought about that for a while. Was it really what Bruce would have wanted? He had died, leaving them all to morn. Why did it matter what he wanted?

It burned like fire in Dick's heart. It hurt like continuous mini explosions, every time he thought of or was reminded of Bruce.

Dick curled up, running his hands through his hair. Bruce had died defending the world and here Dick was, wishing he hadn't.

* * *

 **Landlady**  (Ki-Chan Riker)

Clancy shuffled around the man standing in the middle of the side-walk as she manoeuvred the heavy box she was carrying to the dumpster. Giving a great heave, she tossed the box in.

Turning, she noticed that the man hadn't moved, that he was looking at her and that she knew him.

"Jason!" she said in surprise, "aren't ya a sight for sore eyes!" She walked over and he wrapped her in a hug. She was glad to hug him back but she couldn't help noticing that his hug was subdued, almost sad. "What's shakin'?" she asked.

His lips twitched up in a smile but Jason didn't make a joke like he always did. Instead he sighed.

"My adoptive dad died."

Clancy swore. While this might now be considered part of Gotham, it was still Bludhaven and people still died all the time. However, it still hurt when it was someone close to you.

"I'm sorry."

Jason shook his head.

"Don't be. Not your fault." He sighed again. "There's a little issue though. I never told you why I came to Bludhaven."

Clancy raised her eyebrows. This sounded serious and she wondered what connection it had to his dead dad.

"I came here looking for my brother. Dick Grayson." Jason smiled widely. "I should probably thank you for taking good care of him. I've found he can be a bit of an idiot sometimes."

The pieces connected in Clancy's head and she smiled.

"Not a problem. We were all hopin' Mr. Grayson would find where he belonged." She spotted the way Jason's eyes darted away, possibly suggesting that Dick didn't belong completely and she wondered if that had to do with his missing memories.

"Yeah. And he's lost dad too. Except, it's hit him hard." Jason shivered a little. "We were hoping, his friend and I, that you would have some idea of someone we could have talk to him. Someone he's close to."

"That'd be me. Or Hogan. Hogan's kid might be a good choice since the kid likes Dick. Hey, you could even try Amy, they were partners before that attempted cop killin' incident."

Jason nodded at each name. When she stopped he asked, "that's it?"

"For all his friendliness, I didna see Dick get close to many people. That's how it is in Bludhaven."

* * *

 **Mother hen**  (Ki-Chan Riker)

Jason frowned when he opened the manor door. He hadn't been back since Bruce's 'funeral'. He had been crashing in one of his safe houses, although he had also been thinking about getting his own official place.

He wondered whether this was a good idea when he opened that door. The manor was dark and quiet.

"Whoa, this place is ritzy!" Clancy commented from behind him. 

"It's not usually this dark though," Jason commented, looking around. Where was Alfred?

They found Dick in the study, standing before the grandfather clock, looking at the door they came through. Jason's eyes narrowed. Dick must have been in the cave.

"Clancy?" Dick said, his voice raised as the corner of his mouth twitched up. It was more expression than Jason had seen in days.

"Hey, Dick," Clancy said, "how about some lunch?"

Dick flustered, eyes darting around and they both realised he hadn't been planning to eat or hadn't realised the time. But he agreed and showed Clancy where the kitchen was.

"Right-O! I'll cook you up lunch," Clancy said, having a look in the pantry and fridge.

"Oh no, you're a guest-" Dick started to say but he was cut off by Jason.

"Hey, cooking in one of the fine arts!" Jason scolded. "Move over Boss-Lady, I'm going to do the polite thing and help."

"Can you even cook?" Dick asked and Jason dramatically held his heart as if Dick had hurt him.

"Ouch! I help Alfred all the time, Dick."

"Like the time with the toaster?" Dick questioned, referring to an incident early in his stay at the manor. Jason had offered to make toast for breakfast and ended up setting the toaster on fire. Somehow.

"The toaster?" Clancy questioned with an amused and curious glance his way. Jason sighed and his cheeks went pink while Dick smirked at him. She hid a smile, deciding that her mothering of them was helping a little.

* * *

 **Longing**  (Kessy Rods)

Dick had a taste. He had a taste of what he had before he lost his memories. All it took was another grave, so like his parents. A person in his life dead with him unable to stop it.

He spent a long time down in the cave, looking upon Nightwing's old uniform and the dark Batman one which hung next to it. In the background, he could hear Damian training and Alfred watching over them while he provided information to Batman's operatives out in Gotham.

Dick had told himself he wanted Batman to stop, that vigilantism wasn't the way to help. However, he found he didn't like a Gotham without a Batman. Everything was darker and even the innocent seemed to sense the difference. The nights weren't as safe as they used to be, since the vigilante patrols had made people feel safe on the streets, and Gotham's crime rate was steadily rising. It had been high in the first place but now they were close to an all-out war against crime.

Even Catwoman was helping them out. Anything to stem the flow of crime.

Behind him, he could hear Damian arguing again about wanting to go out and help fight.

Dick felt out of place. He had no idea what he was supposed to do.

* * *

 **Scars**  (Kessy Rods)

It was like a number of scars in his mind. For once, Dick could feel the parts of him missing and the memories torn from him by bullet and infection. They were like the many scars which marred his body.

Dick twitched. It felt like Martian Manhunter was tearing them open. Almost as if blood was flowing from them. The inside of his head ached and stung.

There had to be something. Anything to bring his memories back.

However, one couldn't cut scars to restore skin to its undamaged state. So, they couldn't tear at forgotten memories to restore them.

_'Never to swerve from the path of righteousness.'_

_'I swear it!'_

That was-

...

-Dick opened his eyes to the medical bay of the watchtower. He looked around, surprised to find Superman sitting next to him with a sad look.

"Why didn't you say anything?" Superman, Clark, asked.

"Say what?"

"That you were planning to ask for your memories back. I had to hear from an upset Martian Manhunter after you collapsed during the process."

Dick was silent. Clark's expression fell.

"It didn't work," he commented.

"No," Dick confirmed. It hadn't worked. His memories were gone. Except for that fragments he had when he woke up, like that of a younger him and an older man making a vow. He hadn't realised it until now but the other voice had been Bruce's. A little younger but still Bruce's.

Dick turned away as tears began to leak out of his eyes.

"Dick?" Clark's hand touched his arm comfortingly. "It's okay. We'll find a way to get your memories back."

"I didn't want my memories back," Dick admitted, "I wanted Nightwing back. For Jason and Tim and Damian. So they don't have to fight so hard in Gotham."

"Dick-" Dick interrupted Clark as he didn't want to hear his sympathies.

"I don't feel like Nightwing, I barely feel like the Dick Grayson they expect. And with Bruce gone," his voice cracked. "We can't just rely on Jason to carry everything. It's selfish." He knew Tim had been suggesting to Jason that he take on Batman's mantle. Dick knew that the suggestions had begun changing to pleas.

Tim thought that Gotham needed a Batman and Dick couldn't bring himself to disagree, for all he disliked the idea of any of this little brothers in that suit.

* * *

 **Knock-Off Brand**  (yangires)

If you asked the Gotham reporters which Wayne kid was the best dressed, the answer would be Jason. The second eldest sold papers and outfits whenever he stepped out in public. So much so, that some designers and stores sent him clothes to wear.

Something which Tim grumbled about whenever the older man and new roommate stepped into the kitchen of his apartment, ready for a day at Wayne Enterprises.

"We can't all look this good," Jason commented with a smirk. "Besides, the dudes on the board like you better."

"Probably because I don't call them 'the dudes on the board'. Besides, I was helping Bruce to run the company before…" Tim trailed off, looking at his bowl. He didn't want to say it, didn't want it to be true.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm the useless heir who doesn't do any of the work and… plays… around," Jason trailed off, a shocked look coming to his face. "Holy… I've turned into a Bruce! A younger and more attractive version but still…" he let loose a string of curses while Tim laughed.

* * *

 **Child**  (Kessy Rods)

Dick was withdrawn and often disappeared.

Jason and Tim were living together, Jason crashing on Tim's couch. The two boys were looking after themselves as best they could, although Alfred wondered if it would be enough.

Alfred hadn't seen Cass since the funeral. Neither had Jason. Tim said Steph had but he hadn't. It was like chasing down a shadow and it ended with Oracle calling. She hadn't realised that Alfred didn't know Cass had moved into the clocktower temporarily.

Damian trained. Alfred watched over another young boy who had lost a parent and realised he still didn't know how to handle it. It was almost like it was just him and Damian, him and a boy who looked so like Bruce that Alfred sometimes felt like they had gone back in time.


	11. …Long Live the Batman

**…Long Live the Batman**

* * *

**Manhunt**  (yangires)

A manhunt could be sparked by one person doing one thing.

In this case, it was Tim Drake-Wayne taking the Batsuit.

Dick returned from the Watchtower to find the suit gone, a note in Tim's handwriting stuck to the case.

He blinked at it and then pulled out his phone.

"Dick! Finally! I've been trying to reach someone but Alfred's not at the computers-"

"Tim took the Batman suit," Dick said at the same time Jason said;

"-someone's playing at being Batman… what?" Jason sounded mad. Justifiably so. He had been the one to say that none of them would take up the mantle. Even Bruce's will had asked for that. "I'm going to kill him."

Dick spared a glance for Damian, who was glaring at him and swearing about Tim from where he had been drugged and tied to the Bat Computer Chair..

"You might have to get in line."

* * *

 **Surprise**  (Sapphire Roz)

Tim winced in pain.

"You're not him. Did you think you could just put on the mask and fool everyone?" Tim hit the ground hard as an unknown drug burned through his veins. "You thought Batman is something that could be replaced?"

Tim had memorised Jason's patrol routes and Cass'. He had found ways around Oracle's net. Tim had been doing this for days, sneaking out as Batman under the radar.

Now, he was paying for it.

"I thought you people understood the truth about masks. About identity." A kick to the face and a tug on his cape.

Tim hit the ground again, the back of his head banging against the concrete and the back of his eyes lighting up with stars.

"No. Batman's dead."

Tim coughed and ignored the liquid which splattered the back of his throat. He needed to get up.

"Maybe I decided to use your fascination with 'two' against you!" a deep voice growled. Tim winced as something black landed between him and his attacker.

 _Jason…?_ Tim wondered. He was glad he had left the note that night.

"Robin! Get him out of here!"

 _Robin…?_  Tim blinked and rolled over with a grown.

"-tt-, stay down."

Tim started as a domino masked Damian Wayne looked down at him with a savage grin.

 _Oh no…_ Tim would rather face off with Two-Face.

* * *

 **Cargo**  (Kessy Rods)

Commissioner Gordon was about to call it a night. The signal had been burning all night and his shift was almost over.

Still no sign of Batman.

The Commissioner was starting to put some belief in the rumours that Batman was dead. He wondered what a certain family might be doing about that but knew it wasn't his place to pry.

He just wished that Gotham could survive without a Batman. He knew it couldn't.

There was a cough behind him, causing him to spin around and pull his gun.

"Didn't mean to scare you." Batman stood behind him, Two-Face tossed over his shoulder and a frown on his face.

"Batman," Commissioner Gordon breathed in relief. However, now that he had identified the intruder, he realised there were some differences. Less lines around the mouth. There were a number of other little things too, which Commissioner Gordon could only pick up because he knew the previous Batman. "It's been a while. Rumours were starting to circulate."

Batman was silent as he dumped his cargo on the roof.

"I see," he responded cautiously.

Commissioner Gordon wondered how to best phrase his questions in order to get the answers he needed. He couldn't just ask what happened to the previous Batman.

"Are you going to fade back into the shadows? Stop responding to the signal?" he asked instead, because that was the important part. He needed to know if the person behind the cowl would continue to be Batman.

The Batman looked up at the signal burning in the sky.

"We'll see," he responded before jumping off the roof.

Commissioner Gordon sighed. Something things never changed.

* * *

 **Key**  (Kessy Rods)

If there was a key to everything, it would probably be the moment Tim took the suit. Except he had done that a few times secretly. Perhaps the key was Jason denying anyone of the right to wear that suit in the first place. If Jason's willingness to let Batman fade into myth, maybe even knowing that it would never work, had led to Tim taking the suit.

Or perhaps the key was Dick. Dick, who didn't join them on the rooftops. Dick, who had left Nightwing in the past due to his lost memories.

Maybe it was how Dick had just experienced loss for the first time in his fresh life that was key to his taking up Batman's mantle.

* * *

 **Whole**  (Kessy Rods)

Damian was dressed in the new Robin outfit, designed by Alfred and himself over the couple of weeks Bruce had been gone. He had added a hood to the outfit, switched a few colours and pulled on lace-up combat boots.

It was a whole new Robin, something the city hadn't seen since Tim's appearance as Red Robin.

"They're not going to know what hit them," Dick mused, although it was difficult to tell if he was worried or impressed. Maybe it was a little of both.

* * *

 **Hugs**  (Sapphire Roz)

Tim had never been hugged so much. First, Jason gave him a big squeeze, proclaiming how he didn't want his replacement dying early. Dick had started out with a shoulder squeeze but a cackling Jason had pushed him onto the bed, resulting in a hug and a warm smile to Tim from Dick. Cass had hugged him as she called him 'stupid'. Steph had even made her cave debut, flaunting her new Batgirl outfit before jumping on top of him and giving him a hug when he said it was nice. Cass had given her the outfit shortly before Tim had taken the suit. Cass herself was trying to figure out how she fit into the new Gotham line-up.

Tim felt the same way although, the hugs from his family (and Steph) helped ground him in a way he hadn't felt since Bruce's death.

* * *

 **Memory**  (Sapphire Roz and MiriB)

Dick stood before the old Batman suit which had belong to Bruce. He looked up at it, feeling the weight of the cape around his own shoulders. After having a little rant in Alfred's earshot about how the cape felt like a 'Kelvar ball gown', the suit had been modified for him.

Even with the modifications, the reflection he saw in the glass was certainly a Batman.

He couldn't believe he was going to do this. He had no experience beyond that of his short time as a cop and from the events which he had spearheaded in Bludhaven. He didn't remember being Nightwing but Jason had assured him that was probably a good thing.

_'Nightwing didn't want to be Batman, you see?'_

Did Dick want to be Batman? He guessed deep down he wanted someone to be. Might as well be him, right? Someone needed to be out there, protecting people. Protecting his family. And if it was a choice between Nightwing and Batman (and how Dick really wished it wasn't a choice he had to make), he would certainly pick Batman.

_'Never to swerve from the path of righteousness.'_

Dick lent his head on the cool glass and closed his eyes, dwelling on the tiny memory. He missed Bruce.

"I swear it," he whispered. A quiet promise, remade in the large, empty silence of the cave.

* * *

 **Mesopotamia**  (oldmythologies)

"Mesopotamia!" Jason bellowed with a wide smirk and a look at everyone else sitting at the table. After glaring at him, all eyes turned to Dick who frowned and stared at the card in his hand as if looking hard enough could change what was printed there.

"…correct," Dick announced to a chorus of groans.

"I quit," Damian announced, pushing his chair away from the table and crossing his arms over his chest. He also tossed a swear in Jason's direction as he frowned and sulked.

"Is… hard," Cass sighed, staring at the cards. Tim read hers for her and helped her with the words she should know. It gave her a headache.

"Yeah, this game does involve a lot of general knowledge and stuff you learn in high school," Tim sympathised, even though he was tied with Damian.

Both were losing to Jason.

"It's rigged," Dick sighed, tossing the card onto the pile. "I don't even remember high school, how am I supposed to know this?"

"Maybe by,  _I don't know,_  reading, Grayson?" Damian sneered sarcastically.

"Go to your room," Jason ordered, standing up and pointing to the door. "Alfred has told you, I have told you and even Dick tells you not to speak to people like that."

Damian swore at him again and stayed where he was.

"Go. Before I call Alfred," Jason added.

"Fine!" Damian bellowed, jumping off the chair. He kicked it as he stormed out of the room, growling about how if they had been playing chess, things would have been different.

"He's not wrong," Dick commented after Damian slammed the door. "This was a terrible choice in bonding activity."

"I don't think Alfred realised you need a specific set of knowledge and skills to be able to play this," Tim sighed.

"Well, now we know," Jason announced, "and Alfred can pick something different next time."

"Please," Cass sighed, hoping for a different game. "No reading."

"No reading," Jason agreed. Then amended, "maybe a little reading, Cass. You won't be able to avoid it out there so you shouldn't avoid it here."

"If we know in advance, I could help her learn some of the words," Tim said, looking at Cass for her feelings on it.

Cass smiled and nodded.

"I should probably brush up on my history," Dick sighed, moving away from the table. "And a number of other areas too."

"Start with Shakespeare," Jason suggested with a wide smile and hopeful tone.

Dick narrowed his eyes at his taller, younger brother.

"Alfred's already got me reading through  _'Sonnets and Other Poems By William Shakespeare'_ I'm good, thanks."


	12. To the New Status Quo

**To the New Status Quo**

* * *

**Learn**  (Sapphire Roz)

_Timeline: After 'Titans' and before 'Unison'_

"Watch and learn, Roy," Jason said. He reached out and took Starfire's hand.

"' _Yet in these thoughts my self almost despising,_

 _Haply I think on thee, and then my state,_  
 _Like to the lark at break of day arising_  
 _From sullen earth, sings hymns at heaven's gate;_  
 _For thy sweet love remembered such wealth brings_  
 _That then I scorn to change my state with kings._ _'_ "

"You make that up yourself?" Roy commented, rolling his eyes as Starfire giggled.

"That's Shakespeare, Sonnet 29," Jason said, mostly to Roy. To Starfire he said, "I think it fits quite well with a beautiful, loving woman such as yourself. You're like the sun and I, a bird."

Starfire giggled.

"I must say, it is lovely to see you again," she said as Jason smiled earnestly back. "Although I wish it was under better circumstances." The smile vanished.

"Don't ruin the mood like that," he sighed, letting her go. "I wanted to show Roy how to whoo a girl, not talk about... what happened with Dick."

"I'm not going to quote Shakespeare, Jaybird," Roy pointed out. He didn't think anyone would be able to do that without sounding like a dork, except Jason. The teenager had a gift for quoting 'fine literature' like it was the most natural thing in the world.

"It is not good for you to hide your feelings like this," Starfire said, running a warm hand through Jason's hair. "We all miss him but the best way to remember him is to acknowledge what he has left. To not 'sweep it under the rug'... that is the correct use of that phrase?"

Roy nodded that it was. Jason frowned and crossed his arms.

"He's not dead and I'm tired of acting like he is," he declared. "I believe Nightwing is alive."

Starfire smiled and looked between Jason and Roy.

"Then," she said, her teeth almost blinding white with cheekiness, "should we not get started in locating him?"

* * *

 **Love**  (Sapphire Roz)

Jason was always a fool when he was in love. It didn't happen often but when it did, he made everyone around him want to groan with his antics.

There was the girl in high school and, thankfully, only Bruce and Alfred had been tortured by his mushiness.

There was the girl after high school and this time, Jason made Tim want to bust his eardrums so he couldn't hear him gush.

Then there was the girl he had to break up with. Her name was Isabelle. She was blond and, even though it had only been a few dates, Jason was extremely fond of her.

"I'm sorry," he said, holding her hands and holding back tears. "But, with my family the way it is... there's no time for us." He felt bad because he could see that she was trying to hold back tears. "I cannot lead you into a relationship where you'll never get to see me."

"So you're going to end it?" she questioned in a soft voice.

"I want you to be free to love the next lucky guy to come along," Jason said with a sad smile.

Isabelle left and Jason sighed, pouting a little with his head resting on his arms as he sat at the table alone. He had really liked her. She had reminded him of the woman who raised him, during some of her more lucid and loving moments.

"Don't worry, I'm sure you'll find someone better!" Jason glared at Dick, who had slipped into the chair across from him.

"And I'm sure it's not you. Go away," he grumbled at Dick.

"You're always grumpy after breaking up with a girl," Tim commented as he pulled up the chair from the table he had been sitting at.

In almost a mirror of Tim's motion, Damian also pulled up a chair.

"-tt- You shouldn't have broken up with her because of us."

"It's not just that," Jason defended.

"I hope not," Dick said with a frown.

"Well, at least we don't have to hear you spouting poetry or whatever you called those noises you would make while on the phone with her," Damian commented again.

Dick and Tim glared at the kid. Jason, who had been feeling down moments before, suppressed a laugh. He supposed Damian was a kid in some ways.

"Still in the 'all girls have cooties' stage? You'll change your mind later."

"Doubtful," Damian responded with a small frown.

* * *

 **Mamma Cat**  (Ki-Chan Riker)

It was a pitiful noise and Damian almost ignored it. Almost.

Instead, he trudged down the alleyway. He was alert, just in case it was a trap.

The noise sounded again and Damian noticed that it wasn't one big noise but a lot of little ones. He crept towards them.

A round, fluffy, dark cat was curled around three small balls of fur that were kittens. Damian crouched, watching as the mother cat licked the kittens clean. He thought the mother cat must love the babies, to provide them with warmth and attention.

Little kittens didn't have to do anything to be loved. He held out a hand, expecting the mother cat to deem him a threat and claw at him. The mamma cat looked at the hand and then to him with large dark eyes. Then she looked back at the hand and bumped her head against it.

Damian's eyes widened as he felt the soft texture of the cat. He moved his hand so he was petting it. He ignored the sprouting happiness in his chest, unwilling to acknowledge the feeling and ruin the moment.

Then his comm. crackled to life, ruining the moment.

* * *

 **Avoidance**  (CaraLee)

Dick didn't want to talk about it. He didn't want to hear it. So he used every trick in the book. He changed the subject and brushed the comments aside with weak acknowledgements, but never promises. When he was desperate, he would even make the person talking to him angry.

"Fine! Be that way, you...!" Jason bellowed as he stormed up the stairs. "I just thought you should pull your head out of the clouds and maybe, just maybe, let everyone know you're okay!"

"Why would I want to do that?" Dick questioned back. "I don't even know who 'everyone' is! And, you know what, I don't care!"

Damian flinched at the sound of slamming doors. Jason's door slammed shut moments before the front door slammed. He wandered out to see an empty hall.

"Ignore them," Alfred advised. "After all, you're not the only person in this house who lets his temper get the best of him."

"-tt-, like I care. If they kill each other, then my path to my father's legacy will be clear."

* * *

 **Cereal**  (Jaytodd2012)

Dick decided he didn't like being cornered by Alfred. The butler had grabbed him after coming back from patrol, when he was tired and less willing to fight.

"You need to watch how you act around Damian," Alfred scolded. "While I will not force you to meet with people you don't wish too, you need to stop dismissing others' feelings."

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Dick responded honestly.

"You need to understand, Master Dick, you were a very well-liked person. Wherever you went, you made friends. Now, those same friends missed you terribly when you vanished. They all but mourned you. Some did mourn you." Dick opened his mouth to ask what this had to do with his previous comment and Alfred silenced him with a single look. "They care about you. They're not going to stop just because you claim to not to. Which I will request you cease saying. Children pick up things when they're young and they can't always tell when people are lying, especially when they're trying to lie to themselves.

"He might not realise it, but Young Master Damian does look up to you. If you say you don't care, then he will grow to not care."

It took a while for the butler's talk to click. Dick didn't realise what he meant until he saw Damian grab a box of cereal and reach in to grab some of the flakes with his hand. He munched on those while he filled with bowl with more flakes and then added milk.

It was a routine Dick had performed minutes earlier.

* * *

 **Books**  (Sapphire Roz)

Jason's main apartment had a room with three (filled!) bookcases, a desk, chair and wooden chess table with matching chairs. His brothers called it the 'library'. Jason insisted that it was all cover for the secret door hidden behind one of the bookshelves but the rest of the family didn't agree.

Of course, Tim had denied building his new apartment above an abandoned movie theatre because of his love of movies. So Jason denied having a room filled with books because he liked books.

"Look, it's not just filled with books," Jason pointed out, explaining that it was a 'study' and not a library. "There's a desk there," it looked like an antique too, probably a gift from Alfred, "and I've got a corkboard over there." Jason pointed at the object in question which was filled with photos from Jason's teenage years. There was one of him and Dick, from when they went skiing. A photo of him and Bruce, taken the night he went to prom. There was a photo taken secretly by Alfred one of the times Roy and Kori came around and Jason decided to cook for them. Roy had sauce smeared over his face and Kori was laughing while Jason was pointing the spoon at Roy's face and scolding him.

There was a photo Jason had taken with a few of his old high school friends, two of them worked for Wayne Enterprises and the other had moved to Central. The photo had been taken before the third had left and Jason was smirking into the camera with his friends gathered around him.

There were photos of him and Tim and even one of him and Damian, although that was another secretly-taken-by-Alfred shot.

Photos collaged the board.

"See? Not just a library," Jason proudly declared.

* * *

 **Happy**  (Sapphire Roz)

Stephanie woke up in a large warm bed. Again, after a late patrol, she had crashed at the manor.

Jason should never had shown her up here. She was never going to want to leave. It was so warm and she could smell breakfast.

Her eyes snapped opened.

"Mornin' Fatgirl," Damian sneered around a piece of toast. She jolted up.

"I didn't fall asleep in your room, did I?" she asked in horror.

Damian sneered at her like she was stupid.

"-tt- No. This is the guest room. Pennyworth told me to wake you up for breakfast."

"Breakfast?" Steph questioned, perking up at the mention of food.

Damian nodded.

"You should go for the salad, Fatgirl," he said. She didn't care about the name. Her stomach was growling so she jumped out of bed and dashed down the hall.

"Whoa!" Dick said, looking up from his computer tablet and jumping back as she ran past.

"Sorry, Dick!" she said as he shook his head. Smirking, she slid down the stairs and dashing into the kitchen to see the spread of food the boys were probably only going to pick at.

"Ah, Miss Stephanie. I see Damian did as requested."

"Yep," Steph responded with a nod. "You cook all this?"

"Feel free to have as much as you like," Alfred told her. "I'm afraid Richard doesn't eat much these days."

"His loss," Steph responded, sitting down. "It's great Alfred! Thanks!"


	13. Friends and Family

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A shout-out and thank you to everyone who takes the time to Comment and leave Kudos! Always makes my day a little brighter!

**Friends and Family**

* * *

**Search**  (yangires)

Batman stood above the city. He still didn't know how he felt about this role. There was something aching in his chest, a hole he wished wasn't there.

Gotham City was beautiful when viewed from above but he knew there were crimes which would churn his stomach going on down below. He grabbed his grapple gun, spread his arms and tilted his body until he was diving off the building.

The free fall knocked thoughts from his head. His mind was pulling together all the information and skills he would need to make it to the other building without becoming a flat pancake on the cement below; something about that thought made him shiver in horror.

"Batman here," he said when he landed, "anyone got eyes on the target?"

"Dark blue van, heading down Main Street," Red Robin responded. After a pause he added, "I apologise for letting them get away."

"Not your fault," Red Hood commented.

"We'll get them," Batman promised. Spotting the van in question, he leapt off the building, bounced off a lamppost and landed right on the top of the van.

"Found them," he announced before smashing in the windscreen and giving the criminals inside heart attacks.

* * *

 **Shots fired**  (MiriB)

In Gotham, there were no vigilantes among the Batman family who killed.

"Hm," Tim mused as they watched the morning news. Overnight, a serial killer known as 'Flamingo' had been shot dead. "Glad we never had to deal with him. 'Eater of Faces', ew."

"We would have taken him down, just like all the others," Jason pointed out.

Dick sighed.

"We have breakfast together for the first time in ages and all you can talk about is crime and criminals?"

"Coming from the ex-cop turned Batman?" Jason countered.

"You see a uniform or suit?" Dick said, motioning to his shirt and shirts. "I'm neither cop nor Batman right now."

"Lower your voices," Damian grumbled from over his breakfast. He was glaring at them fiercely. "It's too early to be up."

"Why am I here?" Steph asked.

"You are our comrade," Cass informed her. Both girls were sitting together and had hoarded the supply of Alfred's waffles. No one wanted to fight Cass for them but she was willing to give them one, if they asked nicely.

"You should join us in sleeping after this," Jason said to her before giving a big yawn. They had been working until dawn. Instead of shepherding them to bed, Alfred had decided that they needed to eat first.

While it was time for breakfast, it was more like dinner to the tired vigilantes who wanted nothing more than to go to bed.

"Take the spare room again," Dick added to Jason's offer. He stood up and paused for a moment.

"Something wrong?" Tim asked, the most awake due to the double strength coffee he had practically inhaled the moment they had entered the kitchen.

"Fine," Dick said with a smile. "You should remember to sleep, Tim."

Tim nodded jerkily, even though he knew the coffee in his system would keep him up for a while.

Dick left for bed, Damian following a moment later.

"I think they've got the right idea," Steph yawned, "I'm going to bed too."

Cass didn't seem tired nor had she ingested any coffee. She gave a soft smile and moved to help Steph to bed before she just curled over and rested wherever she lay.

"You really think a guy like that 'Flamingo' would come to Gotham?" Jason asked Tim.

Tim shrugged.

"We do get a lot of the crazies here," he answered, "but I guess a contract killer like that would stay away from Batman's city unless sent here."

"That's using that brain of yours," Jason joked and then yawned widely. He stood up. "I'm goin' to bed."

* * *

 **Scratching**  (yangires)

"Itching powder?" Jason questioned in disbelief. "Why do the cops have itching powder?"

"How would I know?" Damian bellowed angrily from behind the closed bathroom door. Tim gave a sympathetic wince at the slight hysteria in Damian's voice. He imagined that being doused in itching powder would be uncomfortable at best.

"There are many reasons actually," Dick said, coming with clothes folded over his arms. "Distracting suspects during a sting, stopping an assailant-"

"Not helping," Tim informed him, cutting him off. "It doesn't change how the police doused Robin in the stuff."

"Yeah," Jason sighed, "that uniform is done for." He was just glad that Tim's place had been the closest and not his. He didn't like the idea of someone accidentally carrying itching powder into his humble abode. Just the thought would make him paranoid.

"At least we got to see Batman tell off the poor rookie officer," Tim mused.

"He wasn't a rookie," Dick said with disgust in his voice. "And even a rookie should know better than to use itching powder on a child."

"Yeah, well, I'm sure you scarred the man for life," Jason pointed out. There was a wide smile on his face as he remembered the scene he had Red Robin had stumbled upon.

Robin had been twitching and already scratching as the powder irritated his skin and Batman had been scolding the officer in a harsh tone.

"Didn't you receive a similar scolding once?" Tim mused to Jason. Jason paused.

"No," he responded slowly and hesitantly.

"Yeah, you put some of Batman's itching powder on the teacher's chair. The poor geography teacher struggled to not scratch and failed over and over again while students laughed."

"He was mean," Jason grumbled, "and I was mostly a model student, excluding that one little incident."

"Mean?" Dick questioned, looking between Tim and Jason for an explanation.

"He told this girl that she needed to submit her assignment to the proper guidelines; by which I mean typed and printed, even though she didn't have the means to do so. When she tried to explain that she was busy trying to take care of her sick aunt and that she couldn't stay after school to work on it at the school computers, which you couldn't have access to after four pm anyway, he threatened to send her to the principal for 'over dramatics'. He deserved a lot more."

Dick nodded in agreement while Tim sighed.

Beyond the door, Damian chuckled. He thought it was a good idea and that the person in question deserved it.

* * *

 **Stellar**  (yangires)

"This is not a stellar job," Batman commented as they looked around the museum. Model planets had fallen to the ground, some shattering and the starry ceiling had been broken by a wayward explosion.

Robin groaned at the pun.

"We'd better figure out who in their right mind would steal a piece of moon rock," Batman commented. He just hoped it wasn't some crazy costumed villain with a thing for space.

* * *

 **Police**  (Sapphire Roz)

If Commissioner Gordon turned on the Batsignal (Siggy, as it was sometimes referred to), there were a number of responses he could get.

Batman and Robin were the most common. Before it had been Batman and Red Robin and sometimes, Batman and Red Hood or even all three. Now, it was just Batman or just Batman and Robin. The little Robin was a feisty kid, determined to prove himself. For all he acted that he wasn't in this to help people, he would always go still and mutter about his lack of skill if he failed to save someone. Commissioner Gordon could see he cared.

The Batman was different. If the person he thought was under the cowl, then he was glad for it. This Batman knew how to make it so that the police could easily nail the criminals he captured. He worked with their regulations as much as he could. Oddly enough, despite catching Robin commenting once on the Batman's lack of experience, this Batman knew how to handle himself.

Sometimes, the Red Hood would appear. He commented once that he formed a covert team with Arsenal and Starfire as co-founders and they travelled where they were needed. He never came with Batman and Robin though. Red Hood was good at tracking people, witnesses and criminals and very good at getting them to talk. Commissioner Gordon doubted the 'rumours' that Red Hood spent time checking out as well as providing goods and services to the orphanages and foster homes were just rumours. Especially since Red Hood sometimes brought in abusive caregivers all wrapped up and ready to confess.

On rare occasions, usually when Batman was out of town, Red Robin would appear. Red Robin was a lot like the old Batman. He thought about things as the Commissioner spoke, putting the pieces together even as new information was provided. He was quiet and it was hard to tell if he really cared about what he did. But, then the Commissioner would see Red Robin with one of the others while the teenager smiled and talked to them. Or there were the scenes after the teenager had failed and he would be protectively guarded by one of the elder two, moments from braking down.

Commissioner Gordon knew about Black Bat, had met her at some crime scenes, but she never responded to the Batsignal.

* * *

 **Friendship**  (Sapphire Roz)

Tim slipped through the window of his apartment and then paused. Things had been disturbed. He reached for his hidden collapsible staff, ready to beat sanity into anyone stupid enough to steal from him.

"Ha!" he cried out as he swung the staff towards someone hidden behind his open fridge door.

"Eek! So not crash!"

"Bart?" Tim questioned in disbelief as the brown-haired speedster looked up at him from the ground.

"Hi?" he said cautiously, wondering what was going on. His mind ran through scenario after scenario.

Hands covered his eyes. It took all of Tim's self-control to not attack.

"Guess who!"

"Conner?" Tim questioned his friend's presence, not who the person was.

"Hey Robin!"

"Red Robin," Tim corrected Conner. Conner shrugged his opinion on that while Bart whizzed around the apartment.

"Thisisareally, really coolplace!" Bart babbled. "Nowonlyifyouhad Food! Imeanthefridgewas  _empty_!"

"What?" Conner raised his eyebrow.

"My place is cool but doesn't have any food in the fridge," Tim translated. "Now, what are you two doing here? How did you even get here?"

"You know Donna Troy? The previous Wonder Girl?" Conner said. Tim nodded, he knew of most of the heroes. Especially those who trained under Batman, Superman or Wonder Woman. "Well, she and Cassie are 'sisters' or so she claims. Anyway, they know each other." Tim raised his eyebrow, silently indicating for Conner to get to the point. "Donna knows Red Hood and he gave her an envelope for me, which she gave to Cassie who passed it to me. That envelope contained an address, this address."

"We were trying to figure out who lived here when you came home," Bart added. He pointed to the staff Tim was loosely holding by his side. "That kind of gave it away."

Tim was annoyed. Jason had gone and told his friends where he lived just so they could crash at his place.

This was supposed to be his unwinding place.

He had his phone out and Jason's number dialled within moments.

"Jay-Jay's Jump-'porium. It's bouncy, we bounce it. What can I do your for?"

"Well, 'Jay-Jay', I'm looking to sue you for handing out private information," Tim growled into the phone. He was not the least bit surprised that Jason had answered his phone with a joke like that. Tim had been there when Jason first left school and the telemarketers had started calling him almost non-stop. At least until Bruce had insisted Jason change his number and had invested a lot of money into making sure Jason's number stayed private.

"Ah, that letter finally get there?" Jason questioned and Tim could hear the smirk in his tone. "It was just for Supes and Flash-kid so don't worry about it. They're your friends, relax a little."

"But-but!" Tim couldn't deny the 'friends' thing.

"You shouldn't be afraid of losing them again," Jason interrupted. Tim paused as Jason brought up the one thing he had been trying to forget. Tim had lost Superboy once before and even Bart had left for a while, being forcibly sent back to the future for some reason. "It's a second chance, Tim. Besides, you've been working too hard. Let us have some of the criminals while you have a night in with your friends, okay?"

"But-" Tim was cut off before he could make his last stand.

"Didn't you offer to take my place on patrol so I could spend nights out with friends more than once? I'm just returning the favour."

With that said, the last of Tim's will crumbled and he gave in.

"Movie night!" Conner announced.

* * *

 **Bit**  (yangires)

_(Past tense of 'to bite': cause emotional pain)_

The new Batman baffled the Justice League. Superman said he could be trusted however, Superman also seemed to hover over the stranger who wore a fallen hero's clothes.

Wonder Woman had been angry and refused to talk to the Batman outside of missions. The Flash, currently Wally West, was curious.

"Hello!" he greeted the Batman when he caught him.

"Hello," Batman responded with a grunt and a nod. Dick was cautious about talking to these people. They didn't like how he was replacing their comrade, which he understood, but he also didn't want them to figure out who he had been.

The Flash considered it a win when this Batman didn't insult him.

He thought that maybe he could get along with this Batman. Then, he walked in on the man conducting a search on 'Nightwing'.

"What are you doing?" he demanded, a little more angry than intended. He hadn't counted on how much it hurt, to see his old friend's face on the screen.

"Looking into Nightwing's past," the Batman commented in a monotone. Flash felt a flash of hot rage as Batman stared at him. The dark vigilante was assessing his reaction to all of this.

"Why?" he demanded to know.

"Because."

"Because why?"

"You sound like a child," Batman said, tilting his head curiously.

"Maybe because I'm trying to get an answer out of you! You wear Batman's mantle and search through Nightwing's files, do you have no respect for the dead?"

"Dead?" Batman questioned. To Flash, it looked like he was being callous about it all. However, Dick had been hurt by the realisation that they thought he was dead; no one had mentioned anything like that to him at all!

Or maybe they had and he just hadn't paid attention.


	14. Not Alone

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, AO3 users get this chapter earlier than Fanfiction.net users (I keep getting a '503 Service Unavailable' error when trying to get into my account there).  
> Because I copy and paste from my Microsoft Word document, usually I format line breaks and the rest in Fanfiction.net (which automatically formats) so there might be some aesthetic differences to previous chapters.

**Not Alone**

* * *

**Alone** (Sapphire Roz)

_(Notes: tried to write a sad break-up story between Kori and Dick, where Dick feels alone at the end… ended up with this instead.)_

She was Princess Koriander of Tamaran, known to the people of Earth as Starfire and to her friends as Kori.

 Dick knew her as Kori. He was mesmerised by her fire-like hair, the way the red flared and twisted and mirrored her emotional state.

“On Tamaran, we recognise that when a partner forgets about a relationship, the relationship is over. While I have not seen the exact concept on this planet, I have heard the phrase ‘Love Conquers All’ which may be similar. You forgot, Dick,” and he was grateful his name didn’t sound like an insult when she said it. It was a calm statement. “As a Tamaranian, I can only believe that you forgot because you did not feel the 'true love' with our relationship."

 Despite not remembering, it still felt like someone has stabbed a knife into Dick's chest and twisted it around.

"Sorry," he muttered. Kori's hair flared around her.

"It is fine," she responded, "now I know and the forgetting and moving on can begin. Tell me, do you feel attraction for any woman in this new life of yours? I will help you with wooing her."

 If it had felt like someone stabbing him before, now he felt like someone had slapped him in the face.

"What?" he questioned.

 Kori frowned, full lips turning down.

"Is that a negative? Do not tell me you've been spending all your time on Batman and being Batman."

"Uh..." Dick did not have the right answer for that one. He didn't have much of a life outside of the manor and being Batman. Most of his life had fallen to pieces with the fire and then the people killing him.

 Kori huffed.

"This will not do. Call Jason, we're going out tonight."

* * *

 **Butler** (Jaytodd2012)                                        

"Tell me why Alfred isn't doing this?" Jason sighed into his comm.

"Because we need Alfred doing the job behind the scenes and not out here in danger," Tim responded.

 Jason had a feeling they were messing with him. Okay, Alfred did need to do the job behind the scenes in the Batcave but still...

"More water, sir?" Jason droned, moving to the right of the man sitting at the table.

"Just pour, don't ask," the man snapped at him and Jason resisted the urge to punch the smuggler in the face. The last time Jason poured without asking, he had been ordered to always ask.

 Jason poured the drink and retreated to the side of the room, feeling stiff in his butler uniform. He really shouldn't have mentioned that Alfred had one in his size.

 Going through Alfred's school of buttling was not cool either.

 Why did he always get the worst undercover missions?

"At least you've never had to wear a dress," Tim grumbled and Jason had to work to hold his blank, bored expression as he remembered that (humorous outfit) undercover mission.

* * *

 **Dogs** (yangires)

 Damian paused.

"Grayson," he called, tugging on his guardian's shirt. Dick immediately paused and turned back.

 Damian pointed at the window where they could see animals inside.

"What is this place?" he asked. "Are they holding those animals hostage?" Dick stared at him. Damian was insistent as he added, "Batman and Robin should help them! Or do we only save stupid humans?"

 Dick reminded himself not to laugh (and to address the 'stupid humans' part of Damian's previous education).

"That's a pet store, Damian," he explained, "people go there to find a pet. An animal companion."

"Oh," Damian considered this for a moment. "I'm going to take a look. Are you coming with me, Grayson?"

"Sure," Dick responded. They weren't in any kind of hurry and Alfred was still on his way to pick them up.

 Damian opened the door and walked in, breathing in the scent of the many different animals and animal food. He walked around slowly, examining objects and animals as he slowly made his way through the store.

 He stopped as he passed a cat, locked away from the rest. It was black with a little bit of white around its legs and paws. It hissed at Damian, causing the boy to smile.

 Dick smiled too.

 Damian wandered over to where there were puppies playing and yapping. He reached down and ran his hands over a few. He was gentle and had a smile still on his face.

"You will be most magnificent dogs," Damian told the puppies before they left.

 Dick relayed the journey in the pet store to Alfred later that evening. 

* * *

 **Squelch** (CaraLee)

 Batman looked down at the gooey green stuff clomped around the sole of his shoe.

“Gross,” he growled. He glared at the Flash, who laughed at his predicament.

“Hey, calm down, Bats!” Flash said, holding up his hands. “You didn’t have to come.”

 This was true. Dick had insisted on coming on this mission because Red Hood had been the one to call it in. Flash had insisted on going because the call had come to him and it was from Roy.

“Come along boys!” Donna called from ahead. Even though all the files had indicated that the previous Wonder Girl had been retired and happily married, she still came. Donna seemed nice. Dick liked how she had rushed out of retirement because Jason had contacted her.

 Jason had even gone to her wedding and taken a picture with the bride. Dick had seen it during one of the times he had gone through the photo album with Alfred.

“We can’t all hover,” Batman grumbled, envious of the way she floated above the grit and grime of the large pipe-tunnel.

“Boys,” she huffed. Then her cheeks went pink and she apologised to Batman. He was a grown man and she didn’t know who she was the way she did Wally.

“Not a problem,” Batman insisted. He liked being included, even though he tried to keep his distance.

 He knew that Wally didn’t like him. The Flash had tried many times to get him to leave. Dick was just glad he seemed to accept that he couldn’t order the Batman around.

 “The signal is coming from ahead,” Batman announced. Flash rushed ahead, trying to push the large wooden object away from the exit.

“Move it,” Donna ordered. She placed her hands against it and heaved. The object squealed and groaned as it was pushed away.

 Batman really hoped no one heard that. He followed Flash out, nodding a ‘thank you’ to Donna.

“Donna?” Red Hood questioned in surprise. He had called her but hadn’t expected her to come.

“Figures we’d find you in the library,” Donna commented, “you always loved gathering knowledge.”

“Not as much as Red Robin,” Red Hood bantered, “that kid wants to know everything.”

 Batman gave him a small smile as he noticed them.

“Hood! You’re alright!” Flash cheered.

“I’m not the issue,” Red Hood said, “Arsenal is.”

“Roy? What happened?” Donna demanded to know.

“He offended our inhospitable hosts and they moved him into alternative accommodations.” Silence greeted Jason’s joking tone. He sighed and amended, “we were looking into the crime lords here and Arsenal got himself captured. I can’t rescue him without help. I just wasn’t expecting so much of it.”

 Batman cocked an eyebrow, the angle of his head conveying the motion to Jason.

“Who else responded?”

“Well, I was only expecting two people at best,” Red Hood shrugged, “instead, I’ve got Batman, the ex-Wonder Girl, Flash and the Teen Titans.”

“The Teen Titans?” Flash gasped.

“They’re faster than you guys too,” Red Hood chuckled. Batman didn’t like the way Flash glared at him for that. Like it was his fault they had gotten here after the Teen Titans; as if it really mattered? They were here now and they weren’t too late.

 Batman activated the comm. in the cowl and tuned it to Red Robin’s frequency.

“Red Robin?”

“Batman? What are you doing in range?”

“I’m with Hood. Flash, myself and the previous Wonder Girl responded to Red Hood’s call for help.”

“Um…wow. Okay. That’s a lot.”

“Your roster?” he requested.

“Superboy, Kid Flash, myself and the current Wonder Girl.”

“Hm. Interesting.”

“Yeah, we’re currently trying to find where they’ve stashed Arsenal. When we’ve located him, we’ll sent our location and begin the extraction.”

“Got it.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Red Hood said, reminding them that he could also use the frequencies.

 Once the comms were disconnected, he turned to Batman.

“We’re really not going to let the kids have all the fun, are we?” he smirked.

“’Course not,” Batman responded with a mirrored smirk.

 Donna looked between the two while Wally fumed.

 

“I get that they’re both Bats and stuff but I just don’t see what Jay likes about that guy!” Wally ranted quietly to Donna while Batman and Red Hood stood at the doorway. “He’s wearing Batman’s old costume like it’s just something to be passed around.”

“Why don’t you really tell me why you feel this way,” Donna said. Wally gave her a confused look. “You’re one of the kindest people I know. You give second chances and benefit of doubt. What has this Batman done which has you so against him?”

“He looked up Nightwing.”

 Donna spared a glance towards Red Hood and Batman, who had pulled in a passer-by and pinned him to the wall. The man looked ready to wet his pants in fear as the Gotham heroes loomed over him.

“You know Ja-Red Hood never really gave up looking for him,” she reminded Wally. “Maybe this Batman was helping him with his search.”

"Then this Batman is using him," Wally grumbled, "because he sure didn't care about Nightwing."

 Donna thought about that. Jason was the best at picking out liars. He was very good at telling when someone was pretending. He would have noticed if this Batman was pretending to care about Dick Grayson's disappearance in order to get closer to him.

 There was something they were missing.

"Got a location!" Red Hood announced.

"Already transmitted it to the kids," Batman informed them seriously. He seemed to notice the way Donna was staring at him because he questioned, "what?"

"Nothing," she responded. That wasn't the case but he seemed to accept it.

 Jason appeared to be thinking. He had paused and had tilted his helmet, taking up a thinker pose with his hand to his chin.

 Batman seemed to notice it too and his posture shifted to annoyed.

"Let's move," he said, stalking out of the room.

 

 Voices clamoured and they could hear drums in the distance. Inside, two groups of heroes met up. Arsenal embraced Red Hood and thanked him for not abandoning him.

"You are never choosing another of our jobs, ever," Red Hood responded.

"They know we're here," Batman reminded them, "we need to move."

 They bolted towards the hidden exit, not at all looking forward to moving through the slime again.

"I could just fly away? Take Arsenal and fly?" Superboy suggested.

"You'll be an easy target in the sky and Arsenal is not indestructible," Red Robin countered.

"What's the problem with a little slime anyway?" Red Hood asked.

"Super-senses," Superboy responded.

"And there's no traction," Kid Flash added, "I feel like a sitting duck down there."

"Agreed," Flash said, even though he rarely agreed with the kid. But the slime was so slippery that they would fall if they did try and run.

"I don't see the problem," Wonder Girl said. She had been giving Donna sideways glances since they met up. They were impressed and eager, looking for some acknowledgement from her predecessor.

"It's the only way we can get out without being caught," Red Robin reminded them. "We're going."

 They turned a corner and found a group of guards looking to impress their overlord.

"If we survive that long," Red Robin sighed and wilted.

 Flash sped between attacks, punched and unarmed where he could with Kid Flash a step ahead of him. Wonder Girl and Donna jumped into the fray, deflecting attacks and taking down enemies.

 Donna punched one guard down and then turned to check on the rest of them. Red Robin was working with Superboy to take them down, standing back to back.

 Red Hood kicked one guard out of the way, oblivious to the one coming up beside him. Arsenal was fine, he was taking out guards with their own weapons.

"Hood! Look-" she didn't need to finish. Someone called 'DUCK!' over her voice and Red Hood obeyed instinctively. A hand planted itself between his shoulder blades and Batman flipped around and off him to deliver a flying kick into the guard who had been coming up at Red Hood’s side.

 The move was familiar, almost signature.

"Keep your feet on the ground, stupid," Red Hood hissed to Batman.

 Donna wondered all the way back to the jets.

 

"Thanks for flying me home," Donna said to Batman.

"Not a problem," Batman responded. Red Hood echoed the sentiment, even though he was squished up behind the chairs.

 If there was ever a time to voice he suspicions, it was now.

"Heard you were looking into Nightwing," she said to Batman.

 Batman gave a non-committal grunt in response. Red Hood was suspiciously silent.

"Any clues?"

 Batman gave another non-committal grunt. She frowned.

"Dick," she said. He twitched and Red Hood, hood having been removed and placed in his lap, frowned.

"Wow, insulting Batman. I always knew you had it in you," Red Hood tried to cover.

"Cute," she responded, "but you know what I mean."

"I don't think we're supposed to confirm or deny identity information," Batman said, seeking guidance from Red Hood.

"You know enough of mine," Donna responded. "Or should I ask Jason?"

 Red Hood groaned again, trying to cover his helmet with his hands.

"You found him, didn't you?" Donna said. She couldn't keep the little bit of hope out of her voice or silence the little embarrassing voice in her head that considered what would happen if she was wrong.

 But, she couldn't be wrong. The evidence pointed to one person being under that cowl (unless the original came back from the dead, but the original wasn’t acrobatic while fighting).

“Sort of,” Jason responded.

“Sort of?” both she and Batman questioned.

“Rude, Little Wing,” Batman said, his voice losing the gravely tone and sounding both smoother and younger.

“Don’t call me that.”

“Sorry. Jaybird.”

 Red Hood lashed out and knocked Batman on the cowl. Donna snickered at the scene. She wondered if people would be afraid of the Big Bad Bat and the Destructive Red Hood if they saw this.

“Let me explain,” Batman said. He went on to explain his memory loss and how Dick Grayson went from a cop with no past to Batman. He apologised for not remembering her but impressed that he had a lot of issues with meeting people from his past.

“We’re friends, Dick,” she responded. “That doesn’t change just because you’ve forgotten. Call if you need to talk, I’ve always got time for you. And tell Wally for goodness sakes, before he does something stupid.”

“Like breathing?” Jason questioned in a joking tone.

“Jason,” Dick said in a warning tone.

 After that, Batman was quiet for the rest of the trip. Jason carried the conversation, mostly talking about Cassie, the current Wonder Girl and how Donna should spend time with her. But even that had a sad tone as Jason was obviously thinking about his time with Nightwing.

* * *

 **Warrant** (yangires)

“I didn’t do it!” Jason yelled, slapping his hand on the console. Tim flinched away while Dick gave him a level stare.

“We know that. You would never kill someone, let alone a gathering.”

 Jason seemed to relax a little, even though his shoulders were still trembling. Dick placed a hand to his chin as he reasoned;

“But, someone did. Someone in a very convincing Red Hood outfit. Someone clever and good enough to kill a gathering of people in Metropolis the exact same time Jason Todd was in a board meeting.”

“Wait, this happened during that _bored_ meeting?” Jason questioned.

“I called the Justice League and asked them to look into it. Through the information they gathered, I was able to estimate a time of death. However, we can’t use that as an alibi without exposing Red Hood’s identity which will put all of us in danger.”

“No way are we exposing my identity,” Jason agreed.

 Realisation dawned on Tim’s previously puzzled face.

“Jason, it’s a _board_ meeting, b-o-a-r-d. Not _bored_ , b-o-r-e-d. Watch your tone because that is a terrible joke.”

 Dick smirked and shared a look with Jason.

“You didn’t?”

“I did,” Jason responded and they burst out laughing.

“Drake, you need to take complete control of Father’s company before these two imbeciles run it into the ground.”

“Why me?” Tim questioned. “I already to half the work and it’s not easy. I’ll die if I take on the rest.”

“I can’t take over, according to Grayson and Todd. My age provides an obstacle, although I do not understand why. I am perfectly capable of running Father’s company.”

“You’re ten years old, enjoy it,” Dick ordered him. Damian huffed and crossed his arms at them. If he acted his age, he probably would have stuck out his tongue.

“The answer to Todd’s predicament is simple. Retire the Red Hood. It looks strange anyway.”

“’ _Strange’?_ ” Jason grumbled.

"I like the hood," Tim declared.

 Dick shook his head at Jason and Tim.

"Damian's right. Red Hood is not going out."

 Jason slammed his other hand on the console.

"I'm going to clear my name!"

"You can't do it as Red Hood," Dick responded, opening a file. Images of the Red Hood appeared, along with monetary amounts. "There’s a warrant out for your arrest and they can shoot you on sight if you don’t comply. There's a number of bounties and offers on your head. They want the Red Hood dead. You're not going out."

 Jason cursed, slammed the console again for good measure and stormed off.

* * *

 **Disco** (Jaytodd2012)

It was a flash of blue. A colour the Batman family didn't really use. A colour only one of them had worn for a short time.

 Jason was a little shocked to catch Dick, cowl down, standing right in front of the two Nightwing costumes. The bright blue and yellow piece which zipped down the front and was showy in a Teen Titans way. The other was black with a blue decorative strip across the front like wings. Except for the colour, it was a Batman-like suit.

 It was that suit that Jason had come to look at. Even with Dick returned, he went to look at it every now and then. A habit he just couldn't seem to break.

 He looked at it more often in the past few days though. Red Hood had been on house arrest and he was itching to do something.

"Please tell me you've caught whomever it was who impersonated me and framed me," Jason said to him.

 Dick sighed and hung his head.

"No luck. I guess when you wear a mask, anyone could put one on and pretend to be you."

"Bull," Jason responded, angry. "People have tried framing vigilantes and heroes before and it's never worked out. It's like the people unconsciously know that the person under the mask isn't the same."

 Dick paused a moment before responding.

"...then what is most likely causing our difficulties is that you’re using a name which has also been used by criminals. And this criminal isn’t likely to surface again anytime soon."

Jason clenched his hands and breathed. He reminded himself that Dick didn't really know what he was saying and how he found it insulting however, he still wanted to punch him for it.

"I've been using it for years. It's a good name now, it should be a good name now." He wasn't going to cry over this, no matter what the burn in his nose and eyes suggested.

 There must have been something in his voice, curse it, because Dick turned to look at him and apologised.

"I was thinking," he said, biting his lip and leaving the sentence hanging. Jason raised his eyebrows and told him to go on. "Is there anything wrong with you going out under another name?"

"I can't just create a name and costume like _that_ ," Jason snapped his fingers. He had tried. Robin had, reluctantly, been given to him by, feeling-replaced, Dick when the older realised how much trouble he had coming up with a name and Red Hood he had created with help from Tim, who had skill in redesigning outfits.

"I'm not saying to create a name and costume," Dick hinted with a glance towards the Nightwing costumes.

 Jason froze.

 No. Just no.

 It would let him go out and fight crime again, a little voice whispered in his head. It wouldn't even be that bad.

"I'm not wearing the disco thing," he sneered, trying to pretend that he didn't care.

"It's somewhere to start," Dick responded.

"You don't know what you're saying." If Dick had been in his right mind; if he remembered what Nightwing meant to him, he would not be offering it to _him_.

Not to Jason. Jason couldn't take Nightwing's costume. Not on the word of Batman and certainly not from a Dick Grayson who couldn't remember why he had created Nightwing in the first place. What the role had meant to him.

 While the role had been taken up when Dick had left Batman, it had been about honour. Honouring those who came before and who made Dick the person he had become.

 Jason couldn't accept that from someone who didn't remember the people who had helped him become the person he had been.

"Jason, I know what I'm doing. I'm giving you the chance to do what you live for. Hey, you can even clear Red Hood's name and go back if you wanted."

"And what happens if you get your memories back?" Jason demanded to know, his voice rising.

 This couldn't be true.

“There is a protocol in place just in case that does happen,” Dick admitted quietly. “Jason, I’m giving this to you. I realise that it’s probably not appropriate for me to do but, it’s a better option than having you running around with a huge target on your head.”

 Jason didn’t want to admit to himself how he had been slightly hoping for this. Why else had he been looking at the suits, if he wasn’t thinking about sneaking out in one of them?

 However, sneaking out was a lot different to Dick giving it to him.

“Just think about it,” Dick said.


	15. Best Friends?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Notes: There's a plot to this chapter. Basically, it's one event told in four words. I don't know whether I've covered everything about it in the story but, if I missed something or there's something confusing you, please leave a comment.
> 
> Thanks to everyone who has left a comment and/or Kudos!

 

**Best Friends?**

* * *

**Questionable**  (yangires)

Jason had made some questionable decisions in his life. This didn't even rank in the top 5. He walked down the halls of the Watchtower, feeling slightly out of place in his new outfit.

The new modifications to the Nightwing outfit included changing the bottom part to black cargo-like pants with pockets, Jason believed you could never have enough pockets, and the blue stripe had been changed to a red which matched the hood he previously wore.

Jason still had great timing sense.

"For those reasons, we will not be working with Red Hood in the future," was the first thing he heard when he slipped through the door.

Then it was loud. Protests from all the heroes he had worked with and insistences that he was obviously innocent and that the League should stand by its people.

Batman took in all the noise with an unimpressed attitude. Nightwing slipped through the chaos to stand by his side.

"Still haven't convinced them you know what you're doing?" he said to Batman. The sound of his voice was enough to cause the Justice League members to look at him. And look. And freeze.

Batman smirked as he spotted jaws drop. He commented, "hm. Maybe I need character references. Willing to provide one, Nightwing?"

"Red Hood?" Flash questioned in a strangled voice.

"Should I answer that?" Nightwing asked Batman, in a slightly joking tone. Batman shook his head. It was better to not admit to anything, information could easily slip out.

"I just informed you that we will not be working with the Red Hood. Here or in Gotham."

"Speaking of Gotham-" Jason started to say.

"It's obviously him!" Flash interrupted. He zipped up before Batman. "What do you think you're doing, giving him that costume?" he demanded to know, furious.

Jason tried not to let the comment hurt him, Flash was only upset because he believed Dick had no say. He knew it looked like they were replacing Dick with Jason, again. Even he felt like that was happening, even though he knew the reasons behind the change. But, Dick had been with him every step of the change, even suggesting he modify the Nightwing costume and admitting he had modified the Batman suit to make it feel more like his own (he also admitted that it didn't completely work but it helped).

Jason coughed, reminding Flash he was standing right next to him.

Flash glared at him.

"What would the original Nightwing say about it?" he demanded to know.

The comment hurt and Jason was in no mood to be the Flash's emotional punching bag.

"What do you care?" Jason spat back. "You didn't help me look for him. When was the last time you even visited Gotham?"

The Flash flinched back.

"Now that's not fair," he responded in a hurt tone.

"Especially since the other Nightwing's probably dead," Green Lantern pointed out. He received a few disapproving stares for his words.

Nightwing just sighed and Batman shrugged. Superman looked nervous and Martian Manhunter was looking at Batman.

Nightwing decided to take advantage of the silence to deliver his message.

"Deathstroke's been sighted in Gotham."

Batman paused. A moment later, his shoulders slumped.

"Really? What's he want?"

"Red Robin seems to think he's after Robin," Nightwing explained, "possibly sent on orders from mummy dearest."

Batman made an unimpressed noise and turned to address the League.

"There's a dangerous mercenary on the loose in Gotham. You know how to contact me," he said, heading towards the door. To Nightwing, who followed him, he commented, "I'll introduce you properly next time."

"Suuuure you will," Nightwing responded in an unbelieving tone.

* * *

 **Joke/s**  (Sapphire Roz)

Flash sped through the streets of Gotham. The mantra of 'it can't be' running through his head. He skidded to a stop outside of Wayne Manor and banged on the door.

It felt like hours before the door opened and Alfred stood there.

"Flash? What business does a hero have on the Wayne doorstep?"

Wally paused and looked down. The red covering his body confirmed that he had come here in costume.

"Oops," he muttered, whizzing away and changing in a blur before returning. "Hi, Alfred. I'm here to see Jason."

A cocked eyebrow and thin lips. Alfred wasn't impressed with the request.

"Surely you know how Master Jason spends his nights," he responded.

"I can wait for him to return," Wally responded. He was desperate to get inside.

Alfred was suspicious but let him in. After careful prodding from Wally, the butler led him up to Jason's room and let him in. Alfred reminded him how much Jason didn't like it when someone touched his things and then left.

Alone in Jason's room and Wally felt a bit like a fool. It could have just been a coincidence. After all, Dick was gone. It was unlikely that he had somehow come back and forgotten to tell Wally about it, right?

Wally paced the room seven times before deciding to explore a little to calm his nerves. He stepped out into the hallway and started opening doors.

He opened one which had been vacant the last time he came it and was hit with familiarity. There was a warm air to the room, probably caused by the objects and stuff just left wherever they happened to lie. Clothes littered the bed, but not the floor because Alfred had already been through. Books sat open on the desk, the chair was pushed out and there were papers sitting all over the desk. The floor might have been spotless but that was certainly Alfred's influence as the desk and bed were cluttered.

Wally walked over and picked up one of the discarded books on the bed. It had been placed face-down on a certain page and appeared to just be a novel.

The scent was what got him. It was nice and warm like the air. It was familiar and strange all at once.

Because the person who had owned a room like this back at Titans tower had been shot.

"Who are you and what are you doing in my room?" a voice said from behind him, causing him to jump and turn to face the cowl-less Batman.

Blue eyes were cold and Dick's lips were pushed down in a frown.

"D...ick?" Wally questioned softly.

"Is that my name or an insult?" Dick questioned. He looked Wally up and down, trying to place him.

"Why? Why didn't you tell me? Is it because I didn't help look for you like Jason said?" The words burst from Wally before he could stop them.

Dick's eyes widened, blue eyes growing light as realisation crossed his features.

"Wallace West, the Flash," Dick stated in a surprised tone. "What are you doing here?"

"What?" Wally didn't understand. Did this have to do with him moving up to take his uncle's mantle? "Well, my uncle died so I became the Flash. And, I'm here because  _we're friends_! Best friends! …Dick?" he questioned as the person in question took a step back. It was almost like Dick was scared of him. He had forgotten his anger the moment he took in Dick's strange behaviour.

"Best friends?" Dick echoed hollowly. "I don't… I can't… I'm sorry."

"What?" Even though he was confused beyond belief, his heart was still able to plummet.

"I don't know you," Dick said. "Not outside of Batman and the Flash."

Batman… Wally's mind raced with the realisation. He was such an idiot! Dick was alive so of course he was the stranger who took the Batman mantle!

Wally tried to focus. To see his best friend who was telling him with bright eyes and a scared frown that he didn't know him. He tried to be tactful. Except his mouth sometimes ran faster than his thoughts.

"This is a joke, right?"

* * *

 **Nostalgia**  (Jaytodd2012)

Donna stormed through the back door to the Wayne Manor, startling the youngest into dropping the piece of toast he had been carrying.

"What are you doing here, woman?" he demanded to know.

"Jason and Dick, where are they?"

Damian clicked his tongue and pointed her up the stairs. She stormed up, hoping she wasn't too late. Wally had called her, babbling about Dick possibly being at Wayne Manor, arrest reports and something about Dick shooting Deathstroke that she didn't understand.

"When you two left the meeting I decided to look up Deathstroke's last arrest," Wally was saying, "and found Dick's name in it. Now back off Jay!"

"No way. You barge in here, upset my brother and you think I'm going to let you anywhere near him?"

Donna turned the corner to see Jason holding Wally by the collar and almost growling into his face.

"Boys!" she shouted in a scolding tone. Jason jumped away from Wally and they both stared at her. "I just travelled a good distance to help you sort this out because Dick lied to me, so I'm not in the mood for fighting." Her stance added, 'I will destroy you if you don't listen' to her words.

She was annoyed.

"Okay, yeah. Dick lied. He didn't tell Wally," Jason grouched, crossing his arms and frowning. "So what? He doesn't owe Wally anything."

"He's my best friend!" Wally countered.

"Shouldn't 'he' get a say in this?" Dick added, seeming to appear beside Donna. "Hi, Donna. They locked me in my room."

"You don't get a say in this!" Jason said to Dick. " _You_  were gone! You don't know what they did!"

"Considered me dead and moved on?" Dick suggested. Jason's mouth dropped open as he searched for a better retort than swearing. "I spoke to Kori, remember? Besides, Little Wing," Dick rolled his eyes. "I'm alright with that."

There was awkward silence for a moment as they took in the meaning of Dick's words. He was okay with them thinking he was dead?

Jason's hands fells to his sides and clenched into fists.

"Are you really?" Donna asked, causing all eyes to look her way. She thought about how she would feel in Dick's position. "Or do you not want to face your guilt, your shame over forgetting us? Over coming back like a different person, like coming back's a bad thing?"

Dick didn't answer, which was all the answer these three needed. They knew him well enough to know that was an admission.

"Dick, I recognised you from your actions out on the field. That means you're still the great person I knew. I am sad that you don't remember me but we can always make knew memories. Time will help. But, thinking you're dead? That hurts. That's a pain that won't ever completely go away." Donna shot the other boys a glare, silently indicating that it was their turns.

Wally considered what to do for a moment before zipping right up to Dick and wrapping him in hug. Dick responded to the move before it even had been made, arms automatically reaching out to hug him back.

It was a familiar feeling, hugging Wally. Wally smelt of spices and food.

"So, we were best friends?" he questioned when the embrace ended. Behind them, Jason was gagging over the display of friendly affection.

"The best."

Dick flashed a wide grin as Donna pulled Jason away, her job done.

"Tell me about it."

* * *

 **Chance**  (yangires)

"Don't worry, Jason," Donna said as she pulled him into the kitchen. "You'll get your chance to punch the idiot. Or get even. Whichever you prefer."

"Good," Jason responded, sulking on the chair while, upstairs, Dick and Wally got to know each other again.


	16. A Date, some Drugs and a Deathtrap

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Notes: Jason Todd is now Nightwing and Dick Grayson is currently Batman.

 

**A Date, some Drugs and a Deathtrap**

* * *

**June**  (CaraLee)

Her name was June and she had successfully managed to get a date with  _the_  Jason Todd-Wayne. She had thought she was dreaming when he had come into the free-clinic where she worked but, that thought was quickly proven false. Jason did some volunteering there. He cleaned rooms, beds, did laundry and organised files. He made the sick children laugh and the older ladies giggle.

After a few weeks and with encouragement from her friends (really, they just wanted proof that she knew him), she asked him out. To her shock, he had said 'yes'.

Jason had looked like a fairy-tale prince when he turned up on her doorstep dressed in a nice pink shirt and dark pants with a single flower in his hand.

She could have died happy right there.

"Um. Excuse me a moment, June," he said, interrupting her story about the lost dog which had snuck into her apartment building the other day. She sighed happily as he walked away. This was a dream date.

 

Jason snuck into the bathroom after a shady man who looked familiar. He punched him out and searched him, proving his suspicions that the man was a drug dealer.

He made an annoyed sound and flushed the man's product down the toilet. Pulling out his phone, he took a picture of the man's ID and sent a message to Dick to do some research on the dealer before Nightwing's visit to him.

Because he was going to get a visit from Nightwing that very night.

 

June smiled as Jason sat back down.

"You were gone a while," she commented.

"Yeah," he responded, flashing her a perfect white smile. "I guess something in this dinner didn't agree with me."

June warily eyed her meal, hoping it was okay.

"It'll be fine," Jason tried to reassure her. Then his phone went off. "Hello? What? Yes, but I sent that to Dick." June picked at her meal as Jason gave her an apologetic look. 'My brother,' he mouthed and she nodded her understanding. "It's not that important and I didn't sent it to you. In addition, you sound like you need sleep- that better not be the coffee maker I hear."

June raised an eyebrow. It was much too late for coffee. She wondered what Jason's brother was like. If she recalled correctly, he had three. Dick, Tim and Damian. She remembered him talking about them before.

Jason hung up with a curse and June gave a small gasp. She had not expected someone raised under Bruce Wayne's roof to know language like that.

"The little, I know 'e's workin' when he's supposta be-" Jason's eyes widened and his mouth clicked closed. He swallowed a few times and when he next spoke, the lit which had entered his voice had faded into a tone. "Sorry. That was Tim. He is supposed to be sleeping. At this rate, he is going to work himself into an early grave."

Maybe she could ask him that question which had been on her mind since they met.

"So, how did you end up in Mr. Wayne's care?"

Jason stared at her for a few moments before commenting, "it's a really boring story, are you sure you want to hear it?"

"Sure."

Jason opened his mouth to start and jumped as his phone vibrated.

"I shut the sound off for a reason," he grumbled as he pulled it out again. "What'dya want Dickie?" Pause. "I'm on a date. Can't this wait?" Jason sighed and grumbled something unintelligible. "Fine." He hung up and gave her an apologetic look. "Sorry, family emergency." He pulled out a couple of notes and tossed them onto the table. "That should cover it. Sorry again and I'll talk to you later. We'll reschedule."

"Sure," she responded.

They never did end up rescheduling the date as she hadn't the heart to tell him she was moving. Even with the Bats patrolling the streets, her parents thought she would be safer back in her hometown and she couldn't disagree.

It was a nice last memory of Gotham though.

* * *

 **Smiles**  (Sapphire Roz)

Alfred laid out breakfast. Batman pulled off his cowl, smiling at the sight of food.

"Thanks, Alfie," Dick sighed contentedly, dropping right into the seat.

Damian came storming through a moment later, in his robin uniform sans mask. The youngest of Alfred's charges climbed into the seat and started noisily munching away.

They could have changed before coming up but Alfred didn't have the heart to remind them. Not while they were eating so heartily.

"How was patrol?" he asked instead.

"Great!" Dick responded, "we managed to shut the Joker down before he could unleash his latest plan. Just finding him in the warehouse with the chemical and stolen goods was enough for the police to arrest him." He paused for a moment and then added, "and we stopped a killer as he went for his next victim, five fights and a carjacker."

"Don't forget that gang of imprudent teenagers who were assaulting those animals," Damian said.

Dick nodded and finished with, "hopefully this means tonight will be quiet."

"Pennyworth?" Damian inquired.

"Yes, sir?"

"I'm meeting Todd at Wayne Enterprises later, could you drive me?"

"Of course," Alfred responded, leaving the two brothers to their breakfast. Dick chattered wildly, jumping from one topic to the next while Damian listened and made his own comments.

 

Alfred had packed a couple of lunches which he brought with him when he drove Damian to Wayne Enterprises. He considered it a shame that the two middle children insisted on living on their own. At least he could make sure they ate lunch.

They located Jason in Bruce's old office with Tim manning the office next door.

"Lunch, awesome!" Jason cheered, practically leaping out of the chair. He hugged Alfred tightly before grabbing his box. Resting back against the top of the desk, he opened the meal and started eating. "Mmm, good. Oi, Tim! Come eat before you run out of energy."

Tim popped inside the office and quietly took a box of food from Alfred's hands.

"Thanks," he responded, his voice seemingly quiet after Jason's jovial greetings.

"Drake, I believe I have located the source of the irregularities in the accounts," Damian announced. "I will inform you of what you all missed at this afternoon's meeting."

"How about you tell us now?" Tim countered.

"Not happening. I wish to be present at the meeting and the only way to secure that is to hold this information over your heads."

Tim scowled.

"Fine," Jason responded. "You can go in my place. I've been meaning to visit the free clinic soon and this seems like the perfect time."

Damian momentarily smiled at Jason, caught off-guard by how easily his second eldest brother had given in.

* * *

 **Bound**  (yangires)

Red Robin woke up, dangling above a shark tank. He was tied to a chain, which was attached to the ceiling.

He was also not alone.

"No, no, no, not you," he grumbled as Robin tugged at the bindings.

"Red. Robin," Damian didn't sound too happy either. "This is all your fault."

"Do you always blame others when you get captured?" Red Robin spat back.

"Only when it's their fault. I never got caught back with mother."

"I highly doubt that. Also your mother sent a mercenary after you!" Red Robin reminded him, getting louder at the end.

"That's…" Robin couldn't think of a counter. Deathstroke had been sent after him. If it hadn't been for Red Robin getting the new Nightwing to get Batman, he would have either been killed or returned to the League of Assassins. Batman had ended up tossing Deathstroke over the edge of a building. The mercenary had saved himself, even though Batman would have if he hadn't.

They all pretended that the nightmare which had woken Dick up that morning, the one he claimed not to remember, was unrelated to watching Deathstroke fall.

"We should escape," Robin pointed out.

Red Robin growled and tugged his arms, causing the chain to clink.

"Sure. How do you propose we do that?" Red Robin grumbled, not happy about being tied to the brat. He expected some kind of snide and critical comment in return. An insult to his intelligence or ability as one of Batman's allies and former protégé.

Instead, the ropes around his arms and chest went slack.

"Don't fall," was Robin's advice as he shot his grapple gun. He had used a small, hidden knife in his glove to cut the ropes binding them.

"Robin!" Red Robin wailed as he fell, only just managing to grab his grapple and swing to safety.

Robin was snickering as he landed.

"I hate you," Red Robin said.

* * *

 **Time**  (Sapphire Roz)

It seemed that time hadn't erased Nightwing's name or efforts. Jason did need to introduce himself a few times but he found a lot of the criminals reacted when he said he was Nightwing.

Within a week, the news had travelled among the criminal and hero communities. There was a new Nightwing in Gotham. It was obviously a different person but the Batman family wasn't hiding that.

Batman smiled and watched the screen as Nightwing dropped down from above dramatically. He was sassy and fun but also dangerous and made sure everyone knew it.

"He's crazy," Flash commented as the Justice League watched a recording of Nightwing kicking off a criminal's face, doing a mid-air flip and landing on another criminal.

 _'No more dealing to children for you scumbags,'_  Nightwing said cheerfully as he tied them up.  _'Better find a way to get a message to your friends. Anyone who deals to kids will be personally punched in the face by myself.'_

"Crazy," Flash commented again. He looked over at Batman, who was giving a small smile at the screen.

"Maybe we should ask him to join?" Superman suggested.

"So we can keep an eye on him?" Cyborg questioned. "It's a good idea."

"No," Batman said strongly. "He won't join. He likes doing his own thing." He took in the stares and looks and added, "plus, he knows that the previous Nightwing never officially joined. He has already voiced in intentions to stay true to that."

Flash was confused when eyes turned to him.

"What?" he questioned.

"They're waiting for you to say something about it," Batman explained. There were nods all around.

"Yeah, like 'you're the last person who should be talking about 'staying true to Nightwing'' or something like that," Green Lantern explained helpfully.

"What?" Flash questioned as realisation hit. He had been a bit unkind to Batman and the new Nightwing. "Oh. Uh, sorry, man. I guess I've been kind of harsh," he said to Batman. When they continued staring at him, he questioned, now in an impatient tone, "what?"

"Oh gosh," Superman gasped, capturing the attention of everyone, including a slightly irked Batman. "He knows?" he asked Batman.

"Yes," Batman said through gritted teeth. "Does it matter?"

"Knows what?" half those gathered questioned in unison.

"It does not matter," Batman growled. "Now, back to business."


	17. Family Routine

**Family Routine**

* * *

**Season**  (yangires)

Holidays in Gotham were always fun. Even though they attracted those criminals with flairs for the dramatic or fixations on holidays.

Damian didn't mind though. Dick was out with Selina, who was regaling him with tales of events which happened during the time he was missing. Jason was fighting crime while Tim kept an eye on the bigger picture and tried to figure out when and where criminals would attack.

It meant no one was keeping a good eye on him. The fools. Damian snuck out of the manor and into the streets of Gotham. A few weeks previous, he had taken down Zsasz with the help of Abuse, an orphan named Colin Wilkes. Abuse was bulky and strong, the complete opposite of skinny Colin but Damian really liked how strong-willed the kid was. He didn't even blink when Damian spoke to him in words intended to hurt.

"Damian!" Colin cheered, jumping off the fence he had been climbing to greet him.

"Wilkes," Damian responded in a respectful tone.

"What are you doing here?" Colin asked when Damian didn't say anything.

Damian frowned and tried to figure out how best to say what he was after.

"It is the holidays and I wish for your guidance during these odd times."

Colin gave him a confused look and asked for a better explanation; did Damian want to go fighting bad guys?

"No. I have been informed," by Alfred, "that the season requires me to present gifts to those I reside and work with."

"You want to go Christmas shopping with me?" Colin gasped. He had never gone Christmas shopping with a friend before.

"I guess," Damian muttered in response, gazing off in the distance so he didn't see Colin's expression.

"Sounds fun!" Colin responded, grabbing his arm and leading him down the street, in the direction of the hidden garage Damian had given him.

* * *

 **Breeze**  (yangires)

The Teen Titans were standing around in a grassy field. They were supposed to be doing some training outside, in the sun. Instead, they were lazing about.

Red Robin was lying across a thick tree branch, laptop on his lap and typing away. Superboy lazed at the roots of the same tree, snoozing while stretched out like a lazy cat.

Kid Flash was whizzing around, gathering food from miles away and practising his stopping. He wanted to try impressing the Flash when they next met.

Red Robin's laptop pinged.

"Dude, you have internet access out here?" Kid Flash questioned, dangling below the tree branch within moments.

"I have internet access almost everywhere," Red Robin responded flatly.

"What's it about?" Wonder Girl called out from where she was fighting with Miss Martian, the green-skinned, red-haired shapeshifter from Mars.

The girls were actually doing what they had come out here to do. Training.

"Just a message," Red Robin responded as he flicked through it. It was from Nightwing, who was just checking up on how the training was going. He quickly typed a reply.

A moment later, a smiley was sent back.

A few minutes later, a red-crested Nightwing descended.

"Hey, Teen Titans!" he called. "Have I got a job for you!"

"No," Red Robin automatically responded, however, the rest of his team questioned Nightwing on what he was doing there and what kind of job.

* * *

 **Routine**  (yangires)

Monday to Friday, Dick Grayson tried to be in Gotham. He attempted to keep Batman on the streets and striking fear into the hearts of the superstitious and cowardly.

Robin joined him some nights, as long as he was good. As he needed to remind the little bird a number of times; that's 'good' as in behaving and not 'good' as in keeping up with his training regime.

Saturday was the day for catching up with the Justice League, as long as there hadn't been a meeting or disaster during the week which required his presence. Flash was almost always there. But, where before he had been distant and scathing, he was now close and chatty.

_"So, the other day, I was talking to Linda, that's my wife by the way, she's really hot, you should meet her. Anyway, I was talking to Linda and we're moving back to the suburbs. We used to have this large place outside of the cities but, it kind of blew up and, besides, it was like I was distancing myself from the people by living outside anyway so this'll be nice-"_

He was very chatty. Dick found he didn't mind it. It was kind of like background noise while he worked. Something to keep the bouncy part of his brain busy while he focused on the task at hand.

On Saturday, while Dick was being the League's Batman, Nightwing would be the one to answer the Bat Signal. Nightwing spent most of his time in Gotham City, except for most Wednesdays. Roy insisted on a night where they would team up to kick butt and Wednesday was as good as any. Sometimes their adventures lasted until Friday but that was okay. There was one time it lasted over a week and when he returned, Dick commented that Tim had been the only reason he hadn't sent out a search party.

Tim spent his weekends and Friday afternoons with the Teen Titans. Monday to Thursday was school and Wayne Enterprises. Someone had to help Mr. Fox keep the company running and the shareholders happy. Jason as admittedly good at running the company and had good instinct when it came to business but he had a habit of disappearing which the shareholders didn't like. It made Jason unreliable so Tim worked hard to be reliable. Tim had arranged his Friday school schedule so that he finished classes at 1pm.

Cass did whatever, whenever. However, Stephanie insisted that they spend Monday nights together, working on her reading skills. Black Bat didn't appear Monday nights and it was an unlucky fool who crosses her path on a Tuesday night when she was ready to vent her reading frustrations in her first language. She spent almost all her time in Gotham and only left if Oracle sent her somewhere.

Stephanie had to be careful about fighting crime during weeknights. She had school during the day and, unlike Tim, didn't think it was right to hack her schedule and arrange for classes which suited her. Being tired and going to class at times she didn't like was part of the experience!

Saturday nights she normally teamed up with Robin, something he wasn't too happy about and didn't thrill her either.

Monday nights she stayed in. First, she had dinner with Cass. Then they worked on her reading together and then she did some of her own work from her classes while Cass watched and listened to her rant about the subjects, the students, the teachers and whatever came to mind.

Barbara worked as Oracle more often than not. Her social circle was made up of people who she saw at physio and those who fought crime. She made sure to spend at least one night a week with her dad, so they could both reassure themselves that the other was okay and catch up on each other's lives.

Cass visited a lot and Steph encouraged her to come out during the day. She sometimes saw Dick but it was awkward. The last time Barbara had seen him, he had long hair and was just growing into being a man. Now, his hair as short and wavy in a way she wished she didn't find attractive and he was a man. A sometimes confused and uncertain man but a man with strong morals who wanted to protect. Joking with him over the comms came naturally and his warm laugh often bugged the little Robin who accompanied him and was  _'sick of hearing you two waste time and stop smiling Grayson, Batman doesn't smile'_.

Everyone had their routine. Even Alfred had matched his routine to his charges. He made sure to check on Jason on Thursday and Friday, to make sure he returned safe after his little excursions with Roy Harper. He smoothed Damian's ruffled feathers whenever he was excluded from patrol and on Sunday mornings after his night with Batgirl. He checked in with Tim every Monday for his weekly timetable and arranged calls and check-ins around Tim's busiest times. He made tea for Cass when she returned home Monday nights with a headache. He cheered Dick up when he was panicking over his last visit with Miss Barbara. It was great that the boy still had his crush on her as it distracted both of them from work at times and made them laugh. Unfortunately, they didn't see it as mutual and so, nothing had happened yet. He also made up Miss Stephanie's room, which she was sleeping in at least five nights out of seven, too tired after patrol to go back to her little apartment.

Everyone had their routine. But, they did not live routine lives and something always comes along to shake them up.

* * *

 **Family**  (Ki-Chan Riker)

It had been an anomaly which the Flash had first picked up when playing around on the Justice League computers. As far as they could compute, the anomaly was heading towards a certain set of co-ordinates outside of Gotham.

Batman declared he was going to investigate. The Flash asked and then demanded that he be allowed to come along as well.

Wonder Woman, Superman and a few other members of the Justice League also ended up coming.

They were standing in an abandoned field, Cyborg tracking whatever it was they had picked up.

"It's coming," Batman observed and he didn't need the computer to tell him that. The sky had gone dark with clouds and the pressure had dropped. It was cold and the wind picked up, seeming to swirl around a single point. Lightning flashed around the point and they could hear something buzzing. It grew louder.

"Ahhhhhhhhhh!"

"Is that... screaming?" Superman questioned.

In a flash of bright light, the sound became recognisable as a yell. Right when two people appeared. The light faded and the Justice League was silent.

"Uncle Barry?" Flash asked, addressing the figure dressed in red.

"Flash," the dark figure groaned, "you couldn't do that without the dramatics?"

"You know what, Batman? Next time, you can be the one who runs fast enough to break the time/space continuum."

The current Batman froze, staring at his predecessor with an indescribable expression. It was part fear, part hope, part nervousness and part scepticism. They wished to be able to see his eyes but all they could go off was the tightness in his stance and the slight parting of his lips. Almost like he was trying to form the start of a word. A whisper of disbelief.

"Uncle!" the current Flash cried, rushing forward and enveloping his predecessor in a hug. "I thought you were dead!"

"Nah. Just travelling through the time stream," the previous Flash explained. "I went to the future and then to the past, where I teamed up with Batman. And let me tell you, I was shocked to meet him then."

The Flashes started catching each other up while the previous Batman looked around. His gaze then snapped to his replacement as he sized him up. The Justice League tensed, waiting for a scolding.

The previous Batman knew this wasn't Jason. He wasn't tall enough or outspoken enough and Jason would probably have hugged him by now. It wasn't Tim, who wouldn't have filled out the uniform and would have questioned him on everything by now. Unless he had missed some kind of aging incident, it couldn't have been Damian.

It left only one person who could take over for him. One unlikely person and he could still be wrong. He couldn't call him by name though so he had to go with the next best title.

"Nightwing?" he questioned in surprise. He ignored the gasps from the ignorant Justice League, although he noted the current Flash seemed to know. They may have unconsciously moved away from the rest of the Justice League, but all eyes were on them so there was no way their conversation could be private here.

"B," the current Batman said softly. "You're okay?" It was a statement and a question all in one. The current Batman took a step forward, wavering. The previous Batman understood. People often didn't come back and even with his short memories, Dick would know that.

"I was shot back in time," he explained calmly. "You're Batman?"

The current Batman shifted nervously.

"I-uh, yeah. Gotham needed a Batman and I wasn't about to make Red Hood do it." He gave a small gasp as he remembered, "oh, and Red Hood is Nightwing now. Someone went around framing him for murder and we still haven't figured out who." He was starting to ramble. "And everyone's been helping me out-"

The previous Batman held up a hand, silently cutting him off.

"We will catch up in private," he said.

"Wait a moment!" Green Arrow cried. "What's this about Nightwing? Thought he was missing?"

The previous Batman shot Superman a glare. Superman sighed and pulled Green Arrow back.

"Go," he said. "Be with your family."

"I'll report later," the previous Batman said, causing Superman to fondly sigh at his workaholic friend's ways.

The Batmen vacated the area in the Batmobile.

"I can't believe it!" Aquaman commented, "Batman was the missing Nightwing? Why didn't he tell us?"

"There are private reasons for why," Superman explained as best he could. "And it's none of our business."

"You knew," the current Flash commented with a smile. "I knew it."

Superman nodded and said he realised the same.

"Take your uncle home. We'll cover the clean-up," he said and both Flashes vanished in a blur and gust of wind.


	18. Issues and Returns

**Issues and Returns**

* * *

**Crying**  (MiriB)

Tear tracks stained his sheets and his pillow was damp. His heart was thudding a mile a minute and his breaths were quick and short.

Dick sat up and rubbed a hand to his face, trying to dislodge the feeling of horror. He flopped back onto his pillow and stared at the ceiling. It seemed like this was going to be one of those nightmares he didn't remember beyond an ache in his chest and a name on the tip of his tongue.

Each time, he felt it was different. A different name and a different situation. But the same outcome.

He didn't want to be alone...

* * *

 **Faucet**  (yangires)

A year ago, before he was thrown back through time, Bruce had informed Alfred of the broken faucet in his ensuite.

He was annoyed to come back and to find it still broken.

So he grabbed his tools and pulled the faucet apart. Dick found him half an hour after he started work. Bruce had his head under the sink, testing and tightening the pipes. There was no point pulling the faucet out if the pipes turned out to be the problem.

"You're doing handiwork?" Dick questioned, head tilting in amazement as Bruce grunted and turned the wrench.

"As long as it's not the kitchen, I'm just fine around the house," Bruce responded. He had spent years travelling after all. Besides, to him, this was just like working with a car.

"Uh-huh," Dick responded. He didn't sound convinced.

"And what are you doing?" Bruce questioned, coming out from under the sink to observe the other man's reactions.

Dick's eyes widened in surprise and he bounced off the frame of the door. He had been leaning there while talking to Bruce.

"Watching," he responded, shooting down the trail of conversation quickly. Bruce raised his eyebrows at that.

"Dick," he stated.

Dick's eyes narrowed and he waited for Bruce to say something. Bruce waited a few moments, wondering if Dick would speak and planning what he would say if he didn't.

Then he sighed and placed his wrench back in the tool box. There was only one subject he could think of.

"While I was gone, you took on Batman," he stated.

"I know you didn't want that," Dick said, "even Jason said you didn't want it. But, Gotham needed a Batman and I wasn't going to let anyone else put themselves in danger. Tim almost got killed trying to get us to see how Batman was needed."

Bruce nodded.

"I read the reports." And that was one of the reasons he was out of the cave and working on something else. Batman's reports for the past year and been analytical, well thought out and researched. Notes were scribbled in notebooks and links created between files in Dick's attempts at being efficient.

It was very well done and none of that bothered Bruce at all. It was the way the reports read and what they revealed.

The person who wrote them had training as a detective, more than the few years Dick could recall having under his belt. They were skilled and trained. Bruce had even pulled up an old report, written by Dick back when he had been Nightwing. There had been some growth, probably as a result of becoming a police officer, however the reports read the same.

That worried Bruce. Because Dick Grayson had been a very dangerous man before he lost his memories; a dangerous but moral man and Bruce's pride and joy. But, this Dick had the skills without the memories and training. He didn't remember their bond. That put Dick in a position where he could be manipulated by someone without his or their best interests in mind. As far as he could tell, Dick had no loyalty to them and no reason to don the cape and cowl.

Bruce wondered if he wasn't too late to start repairing that bond.

"I read the reports," he repeated, "and you did a good job."

Dick blinked disbelievingly.

"What? Uh, thanks."

"Do you feel up to being Batman for a while? I've got a year of events to catch up on before I even think about going back out there." He figured Dick could handle Batman and his being Batman would allow Bruce to keep a safe eye on him.

Dick gave him a baffled look but nodded. Bruce smiled and held out a wrench.

"Now, want to help?"

* * *

 **Back**  (Sapphire Roz)

Jason walked into the dining room of the manor. He had received a message from Dick, telling him to come to the manor at this time. It had been insistent on his presence.

Not just his presence, he found as he walked in. But, it seemed, everyone's.

Tim was there, sitting at the long table with his laptop in front of him, typing away. Cass was standing near the window, going through fighting stances. Steph was with her, trying to mimic and learn the stances.

It was no surprise to see Damian there, the brat lived at the manor and tried to always be around when something seemed to be going on. He was sitting across from Tim, headphones in and trying to ignore them all. He probably wouldn't pay attention until Dick arrived.

"So, anyone know why we've been called here?" he asked, mostly directing the question towards Tim. "I left a lovely lady all alone to come here."

"I'm sure Starfire can manage," Tim responded dryly. "She has Arsenal after all."

Jason smirked at the kid's snark and asked the question again.

"I have no idea why we're here, Jason," Tim responded properly, although he wasn't happy about it.

It was interesting that not even Tim knew, Jason mused. Tim had made it almost an obsession to know everything about them. Jason tended to encourage that in the kid because those were the skills that allowed him to discover Batman and Robin's identities.

A moment later, everyone froze and turned to the door as Barbara wheeled in.

"Babs?" Jason questioned in surprise. He noticed that Damian gave her a side glance before returning to his music.

"Jason," Barbara greeted, looking around. "Where's Dick?"

"He called you here as well?" Tim commented, beginning to look concerned. Dick had never called a gathering this large before. "It must be important," he muttered.

"Yeah," Jason agreed loudly and nonchalantly, "so, any ideas Babs?"

Barbara was quite for a moment before speaking.

"Perhaps I have an idea," she responded. "The Justice League gathered over the weekend, checking something out. Right after that, the Flash retreated to his city. The Justice League seems to be abuzz about something but I have yet to uncover what."

Jason's eyebrows when right up.

"You still haven't figured it out?" Normally Babs would have discovered the reason within moments.

"I hope Bart and Wally are okay," Tim mused.

"They seem to be," Barbara said, causing Tim to give a relieved sigh. "What worries me is that I can't hack the related information yet. The security in place seems to have been designed to keep me out."

"Really?" Damian questioned, involving himself in the conversation and pulling out one earplug.

Before she could respond, Dick walked in with Alfred by his side. The usually composed butler looked slightly pale and Jason really hoped they weren't here to hear that Alfred was sick or something.

His stomach dropped at the thought.

 

Everyone's eyes turned to Dick as he walked in. Conversations stopped and they waited to hear why they had been gathered.

When Dick didn't speak, they exploded.

"Well?" Jason demanded he speak.

"What's going on Dick?" Tim asked.

"Why did you call us?" Stephanie asked.

"You need to say something," Barbara guided.

Dick held up a hand and they all fell silent.

"Alright," he said. "Something happened on the recent Justice League mission. It might change things."

They shared confused looks.

"It was revealed that two members of the Justice League went through time. They haven't been completely debriefed so we're not sure exactly what happened but it seemed to involve stopping a temporal anomaly which would have changed our timeline as we know it. But that's not what we're focusing on."

"How come?" Steph asked.

Dick gave them a hesitant look. He paused a moment before continuing.

"One of the members was the Flash, Barry Allen."

"Well, duh. Flashes do the time travel thing a bit, don't they?" Jason commented as it being the Flash was an obvious thing. "Next you'll tell us that the other one was Booster Gold."

"We should probably figure out a way to monitor when these things happen," Tim commented. His expression suggested he was already working on it.

"In a way, we were already monitoring the Flash," Dick said, rubbing his neck. "The other member was Batman, Bruce Wayne."

Jaws dropped. Jason certainly felt his drop. Bruce, dark haired ice eyed Bruce, walked through the door. He was dressed in a business suit and looking serious.

"Welcome," he said in a business-like tone. "And thank you all for coming. As you can see, I have returned."

There was a light bubble in Jason's chest, which caused him to laugh. He didn't notice the eyes all on him as he was completely focused on the figure of his adoptive dad.

"You're just going to get right down to business, aren't you?" he quipped with a grin. Bruce was back and he felt the need to prove it to himself as well as make his adoptive dad as uncomfortable as possible (serves him right for leaving them). Jason held his arms wide. "Where's the welcome back hugs?"

Bruce gave him the exasperated look he always got those rare times when he forced the Bat to express emotions. Off to the side, Dick snickered. So Bruce pulled Jason into a bear hug and then hugged Dick, who squealed slightly at the unexpected contact.

Steph dashed up with Cass, also wanting a hug. Then Bruce walked over to a timid Tim and gave him a grateful squeeze.

When his father stood before him, Damian glared up from where he was curled up on the seat.

"Touch me and I'll kill you for real," he growled. "Grayson has already proven to be an adequate replacement." He received a few shocked glances but Bruce skipped hugging him in order to ruffle his hair, leaving Damian flushed in embarrassment.

Bruce stood among his family and announced;

"Dick will remain as Batman and maybe I'll join him in the field every now and then."

* * *

 **Done**  (Sapphire Roz)

Jason noticed that, right after his hug, Dick slipped out of the room. As soon as the rest of the family converged on Bruce after his announcement, Jason followed Dick outside. There was a question on his mind.

What did Dick want to do?

To Jason, Bruce was Batman. Sure, Dick had taken the mantle without Bruce around however, Batman was Bruce's.

Like how Nightwing was Dick's.

"So, Bruce is back. Are you thinking about retiring the cape and cowl?"

Dick's eyes widened and then narrowed.

"I don't know. I think I'm over the amount of work involved in Batman." He smiled. Jason felt it was a shiny veneer. There was something slightly off about it.

"Well, there's always Nightwing," he joked, ignoring the pain in his heart. Jason knew it was only a matter of time before he had to give Nightwing up to its rightful owner.

Dick's expression dropped to a confused one.

"You're Nightwing," he said. After a pause, he added, "Nightwing isn't even a part of this. I don't know if I want to stay Batman or quit. Bruce is going to take up some of the responsibility but that's between us." Dick's eyebrows creased in anger and his voice took on an annoyed tone.

Jason considered riling him up. Dick had to be lying, after all, when he got his memories back, he would want Nightwing back.

He said that and was surprised that Dick actually recoiled. Then his face went hard.

"I'm not going to be Nightwing. Ever. That's you now."

Jason was surprised he could say it so strongly and certainly. Although his heart was lighter for himself, he found a new worry.

What secret made Dick so certain?


	19. Reactions Emotions

**Reactions Emotions**

* * *

**Nobody**  (Sapphire Roz)

They probably should have expected it. Yet, nobody in the Justice League had.

It couldn't be nobody under the suit. It had to be somebody. Somebody who knew the Batman family. Somebody who knew Batman well enough to imitate him. It couldn't have been the others of the family as they all had known identities.

The previous Nightwing did fit. Mostly. They hadn't known he was still around. There were also some things the new Batman did which were a little off for the previous Nightwing.

The Justice League kept talking about it. Comparing stories. Those who met Nightwing realised that the new Batman was slightly different to the man they had known. The man who should have known some of them well enough to use different strategies at certain times.

Then there was the way Superman refused to answer any questions about it. Flash even refused to explain and normally it was impossible to get him to stop talking.

They probably should have realised that there was someone who should have known. Martian Manhunter was a mind reader as well as a shapeshifter. He was just as silent on the issue. Nobody noticed.

* * *

 **Hatred**  (Sapphire Roz)

Bruce was known as 'The Detective'. He could put pieces together and reach conclusions.

Tim was avoiding him. It wasn't just because the teenager had moved out while he was gone, Tim was actively avoiding him. They didn't meet at work, even though Tim's office was only a few down from his. Jason had given Bruce back his office and moved into the one next to Tim.

Bruce caught Jason a number of times even without looking for him. So, it was very noticeable that he made it through the day without even seeing Tim once by accident.

He decided to corner Tim in his office. Tim didn't even look up from his work.

"Yes?" the teenager questioned.

Bruce examined his second youngest. Jason had mentioned that Tim wasn't eating right and overworking himself. Now that he was able to lay eyes on Tim for longer than a few moments, Bruce could see why Jason thought that.

"Did you have lunch?"

"Define 'lunch'."

Bruce raised his eyebrows.

"When did you last eat, then?"

"Now," Tim responded, pointing to the open bag of chips on the desk.

"That's not healthy. Alfred would have a fit," Bruce pointed out.

"I'm working," Tim responded, blank expression not even twitching.

"Tim-"

"SHUT UP!" Tim suddenly bellowed. He glared up at Bruce. "What do you even  _care_?"

"Tim," this time Bruce's tone was sympathetic.

"No. Just, no. I spent months trying to figure out if you were still alive. Months of being the only one who thought you were alive."

"You- what?" Bruce questioned. He had thought all his kids thought he had been dead this past year.

"I believed. You were. Alive," Tim responded. His cheeks and face were a patchy red. "I couldn't tell anyone because, you know how people treated Jason while he searched for Dick and he was missing! Dick was just missing. You were dead! We had a body! They would have thought I was crazy!" Tim sniffed and braced himself against the desk, Bruce suddenly realising he was standing. He had been focused on the meaning behind Tim's words that he hadn't been paying attention to Tim's movements.

Tim had been looking for him? Secretly?

"Tim-"

"I spent months searching with no results beyond bat legends around Gotham, which I now realise were obviously about you. And then you just reappear one day like, 'surprise, I wasn't dead!' It's not fair. I HATE YOU! I hate you for making me feel like this!"

Truthfully, until Tim brought it up, Bruce had forgotten about the failure of clone of him which had been intended for nefarious purposes by nefarious people but ended up being useful as a fake-Batman corpse.

"Tim…"

"I never felt like this when my parents left me alone so why do I have to feel this for you?" Tim bellowed.

Bruce was now close enough to touch him. He placed his hand over Tim's, hoping to not startle the distraught teenager.

A distraught teenager who had to deal with more than a teenager should this past year.

"I'm sorry," he said. "Next time I'll send some kind of message."

Tim rested his head against Bruce's chest, closing his eyes as his angry energy left him. He was tired.

"Not good enough," he mumbled. "Next time, you take me with you."

Bruce found it difficult to give Jason reasons to not take pictures of him carrying a half-asleep Tim down to the car.

"Come on, Boss. Just one?" Jason smirked as he followed them out of the office with his phone in his hand.

* * *

 **Joy**  (Sapphire Roz)

Bruce looked over the assembled Batman forces. Red Hood, Red Robin, Robin, Batgirl and Oracle up on the Batcomputer monitor.

"Where's Dick?" he demanded to know.

He received blank looks and shrugs in response.

"Maybe he went to Bludhaven?" Jason suggested.

"No," Tim responded, "he's been staying out of the 'Haven after the merger between the two cities."

It was a few minutes until the start of patrol. Bruce started checking the numerous trackers on Dick. For some reason, they weren't sending a proper signal. It was worrying in many ways.

"What's going on?" Batgirl asked Robin quietly.

"I don't know," Robin responded in a scathing tone.

Suddenly the trackers started sending a signal again. The signal registered the Batcave location as a gust of wind buffeted the area.

Dick appeared in a blur, hair thrown about wildly and a grin on his face.

"See?" Wally said. "Told you we could make it." The Flash had his cowl off so they could see his green eyes and red hair.

Before Bruce could scold them, there was another gust of wind and blur. This time the person revealed had blue eyes and blond hair.

"Dick, you forgot your phone," the new arrival said, holding out the item for Dick to take.

"Thanks," Dick responded.

Bruce sighed and rubbed his face.

"Richard, why are Allen and West in the cave?"

The people in question froze.

"Uh, sorry. I know I'm late. I went to Central to ask Wally a few questions and we lost track of time," Dick apologised.

"That's not what I asked." Although Bruce noticed that the rest of the family was giving Dick a curious look. Even Damian.

"Come on, Bruce, it's good to be back!" Barry said. "Make the most of it and don't scold the kids too much. Besides, you've brought me here before."

"Under. Duress," Bruce responded stiffly in a growl.

* * *

 **Clarity**  (Sapphire Roz)

Damian didn't realise until he was out with Colin. It was what his brothers would call a moment of clarity.

He had, once again, snuck away from Batman while on patrol. He had gone straight for the orphanage where he and Colin meet. Just down the back in the shadows of the buildings, where they couldn't be seen.

Damian landed behind the small frame in the currently too-large trench coat and took pleasure in Colin's jump when he greeted the other boy.

Damian liked partnering with Colin, a.k.a Abuse. Despite Colin's childish views that heroes shouldn't kill, he liked having the other hero partner with him. Besides, Colin's views were very Colin and something Damian tolerated (liked?) about him.

Besides, Colin was a far preferable partner to Todd. Todd made crude jokes and silly statements during fights and stakeouts.

At times, he was even better than Batman. Grayson sometimes liked to tell him stories about what others had been doing.

So, there he was. He and Abuse beating up a man who had made an illegal business beating and drowning animals. He sold himself as a cheap kind of euthanasia for the kittens and puppies people didn't want.

Damian was getting a few good hits in, the man was a good fighter but they were going to overpower him soon enough.

"Robin. Report," his father's voice barked through the comm. Damian growled and left the man to Abuse in order to respond. He didn't want the sound of fighting to go through the comm.

"Father. I'm on patrol. What do you want?" he demanded to know.

"You're on patrol? Who are you with?"

Damian bristled. He was able to patrol by himself! Why did all the others insist that he have someone with him?

Before he could respond with an appropriate lie, another voice crackled in.

It was Batman.

"He's with me," Dick stated. It was a lie but Damian couldn't help looking across the rooftops to see if Batman was watching him. After all, Dick trusted him but he was very protective.

Dick had kicked Deathstroke off a roof to protect him once.

Bruce acknowledged Dick's response and dropped out. A moment later, Damian's comm went quiet.

It was then it came. A flash of irritation. It wasn't the anger Damian used to feel when his father dismissed him. It was a flash of annoyance because his father was bothering when he was out with his friend.

It was a strange, almost new feeling. With it came a new realisation. He didn't want to be his father.

He wanted to be Batman. But he didn't want to be like Bruce Wayne, his father.

* * *

 **Watch**  (Sapphire Roz)

It was something Bruce noticed the day after he announced his return. He came down to the breakfast table to find it was already occupied. Sitting at the table, munching on waffles, was Stephanie Brown.

He watched her carefully as she cut a bit of her waffle off and munched on it. He wondered why she hadn't gone home the previous night and what her mum might be thinking.

Stephanie looked up and greeted him, "mornin'!"

Damian walked in a moment later. He slipped into his seat at the table, right across from her, placing a bowl of cereal in front of him. Bruce raised his eyebrows, he was certain that was Dick's cereal.

A moment later, there was a wail from the kitchen as Dick realised he was out of cereal.

Damian smirked and Steph laughed.

"Good one!" she praised and she and Damian hi-fived over the table.

 

The next time Bruce notices is before patrol that afternoon. Steph returned to the manor right after her lessons at college.

She stormed through the front door loudly and with an explosive, annoyed presence.

Bruce raised his eyebrows. He had no intention of getting involved with whatever was going on there.

Dick came over.

"Hey, Steph! Had a good day?"

She responded with a glare, very similar to the Bat-glare. Bruce wondered where she had learnt that.

Dick sighed, "so not a good day then?"

Steph launched into a rant about some guy Bruce didn't know but Dick seemed to by the way he was nodding. Either that or he was just humouring her and giving her an outlet.

 

The third time it happened was after patrol. Patrol finished early due to the number of bats hanging around Gotham. The criminals had caught on that this was not a good night for crime.

"Well, this is the night when all of us are usually out," Dick commented when he returned with Robin.

Fifteen minutes later, Batgirl returned. She walked right into the showers and came out in her own clothes, carrying her uniform in a bag. She heads right upstairs, taking a glass of milk from Alfred.

In that moment, Bruce also realised that Alfred had prepared a glass for her even though he hadn't known she had been coming back to the cave.

"Is something going on?" he questioned.

Alfred gave him a level look.

"Nothing beyond the ordinary, sir."

"Then why did Batgirl return here?"

"It's common enough. Since Miss Stephanie seems to favour staying in her room here."

Bruce decided it was time to stop watching and start being active about this. He stormed up the stairs and went to the room Alfred told him Stephanie was staying in.

What he found was obviously a girl's room, judging by the clothes spread out on the bed. Sitting on the floor was Stephanie, dressed in a tank-top and pants with her hair in a messy bun and a textbook on her lap.

His expression was baffled, hers was curious.

"Bruce?" she questioned for a moment. Then she bounced to her feet, the textbook falling to the side. "Is there a mission? Did someone escape from prison?"

"No."

She seemed confused by that.

"Then why are you in my room?"

Bruce didn't respond to that. He left, making a mental note to ask Dick when Stephanie moved in.

* * *

 **Marshmallow**  (MiriB)

Colin stood outside the orphanage with a bag by his side. His chest was tight and nervous.

Was this really going to happen? He never thought he would be waiting to go to a friend's place for the night. A sleepover.

Colin jumped as a car pulled up and Mr. Grayson pulled out. It was an ordinary car, a little beaten down and with some of the paint flaking. He should have expected the Batman to have a car which blended into the Gotham streets, but it wasn't something he thought about.

Colin tossed his bag in and climbed into the front seat as Mr. Grayson directed.

"Where's Damian?" he asked, noticing the absence of his friend.

"Damian's back at the manor," Mr. Grayson responded. "For some reason, he thinks that he can distract Bruce from figuring out what's going to happen tonight." After a pause, he added, "did Damian tell you his father returned?"

Colin nodded.

"He told me when he found out." He really hoped saying that wouldn't get Damian in trouble.

"Ah," Mr. Grayson mused, "so that's where he disappeared too. He almost gave Bruce a heart attack, vanishing like that." Then something sombre flashed across his face.

"What is it?" Colin asked. He knew that look. It was the look of an adult who had something they thought you should know but didn't want to tell you.

"Bruce doesn't know about you," Mr. Grayson said. "I thought that's where he went but, out of respect for Damian, I didn't tell him about you. So, he's going to be distant with you and maybe even dismiss you. Just know, he does that to almost everyone."

Colin nodded, ignoring the jitters in his chest.

The rest of the drive was quiet. When they pulled up at the manor, Colin almost cricked his neck looking up at it.

"Wow," Colin muttered as Mr. Grayson brought him in.

He knew the Wayne's had wealth but, to actually see it was something else. The ceilings were so high, everything was clean and he had never seen things so nice before.

"Yeah. A bit like Disneyland, isn't it?" Mr. Grayson chuckled. Colin missed it but Dick paused for a moment as a feeling of familiarity came over him.

"Nice to meet you," Colin said to the man standing in the suit standing by the entranceway.

"Nice to meet you as well, Colin. I am Alfred Pennyworth and I serve the Wayne family to the best of my capabilities."

"Oh," Colin said. A butler? The man looked like one.

"I will guide you to Master Damian," Alfred said.

Colin glanced at Mr. Grayson, who suggested he take the guide in case he got lost. According to him it was very easy to get lost in a building as large as this one.

Colin followed Alfred. He couldn't stop looking around at everything. Everything was so tall, big and clean.

"Thank you, Pennyworth, that will be all for now," Damian said, suddenly appearing in a doorway. Colin smiled, relief bursting in his chest as he finally saw his friend. It felt like a really long journey just to see him.

"What's that?" Colin pointed to the bowl Damian was holding.

"Marshmallows," Damian responded with a sigh. "Stephanie gave them to me when I mentioned having a movie and gaming night tonight."

Colin raised an eyebrow and ignored Damian's annoyance at this 'Stephanie' person. Instead, he reached out and grabbed a marshmallow.


	20. Problems?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Notes: So I made a mistake in the previous chapter. Two reviewers on fanfiction.net pointed out that I forgot Jason moved from Red Hood to Nightwing and called him 'Red Hood' instead. However, I didn't want to go back and change it as my mind started concocting a story to go with it.
> 
> Also! I've started another story which is a Batman and White Collar crossover. It's called 'Seven Years Running...' and if you like this (and/or White Collar), I would suggest you check it out.

**Problems?**

* * *

**Donuts**  (Ki-Chan Riker)

Dick hadn't expected a knock at his bedroom door. He opened it to a red-haired speedster holding out a box of donuts.

"Hey, I think I managed to sneak past Alfred!" Wally announced cheerfully.

"I don't know," Dick responded as he let him in. "They tell me Alfred is impossible to sneak past."

Wally smiled as he sat down on the carpet.

"So, let's continue our talk," he said. They had been interrupted by the patrol time during their last talk. Wally had been trying hard to help Dick out as this was the first time his memory-less friend had come to him for personal help.

"First, tell me. What did you and your Uncle Barry decide?" Dick was burning with curiosity. Their situation was similar to his so he had been seeking Wally's advice about what to do.

Does he stay Batman or trying something else?

"I'm staying the Flash," Wally responded. "I think the real question is what Uncle Barry is going to do."

Dick nodded in agreement. He also wondered what Bruce was going to do.

"If Bruce tells me to give him back Batman, I don't think I'd be able to refuse," he sighed. Wally already knew this as Dick had expressed the same fears when he came to visit him. He had helped Dick reason out why he should remain Batman and not just offer the cape and cowl back.

"Take a doughnut and let's talk." Wally knew this would probably be a long visit as he didn't have the answers either.

* * *

 **Arrest**  (MiriB)

Batman cornered the Red Hood down one of the branching caves off the Batcave. He jumped down and Jason almost crashed his bike trying to not hit him.

"What do you think you're doing?" he screeched, terror over almost killing his brother making him lash out.

Dick stood tall and foreboding in the Batsuit.

"I could ask you the same thing. How long do you think you have before he notices? You can't keep doing this Jason!"

Jason pulled off the Red Hood, revealing the pointed black mask underneath. Dick's stance silently conveyed that he keep going so he made a show of pulling off his jacket and the black shirt underneath, revealing the red streak of Nightwing across his chest and shoulders. The pants were his Nightwing ones, close enough to his Red Hood outfit that Bruce wouldn't notice the switch or would just think he upgraded.

"He's got hundreds of reports and files to go through. By my calculations I've got about three days, maybe less, before he realises something's off."

Dick sighed. Of course Jason would have figured out how long it would take. He had sealed up any files referring to Red Hood, especially the arrest warrant, sealed up any reports made by Nightwing and directed Bruce to Tim in order to distract him. It screamed meticulous planning.

"And then what?"

Jason shrugged.

"It can go one of two ways. He hates me for taking over Nightwing or he expects me to be some kind of carbon copy of you."

Dick flinched and Jason winced as he realised what he had said. Dick wasn't even able to be a copy of Nightwing.

"Yeah," he sighed, "you can't even do it so what hope do I have? Either way, it all ends with me leaving."

"What?" Dick questioned in shock.

Jason smiled, remembering that Dick didn't remember his past.

"You did it," he said. "I never got the whole story but it ended with you leaving, later taking up the name Nightwing and leaving Robin to me."

"Jason… I don't care what some past version of me did. You're the reason I'm standing here, you can't just leave!" Dick said. "I gave you the name and suit, if Bruce has a problem with it, then he can take it up with me!"

"It doesn't always work like that, Dick," Jason responded calmly. If he was honest, it rarely worked like that. He couldn't help thinking that, memories or no, Dick always seemed so naïve.

Dick's expression went Batman-blank for a moment and he stood tall.

"Fine. But, you've already tried to run away once. We found you that time and we'll find you again."

"How about we tell Bruce together?" Batgirl questioned, walking out of the darkness. She had her phone out, a call to Tim connected. Robin was standing next to her.

"-tt- Father will just have to adjust," Robin said confidently and smugly. "Just like he's going to have to adjust to not being Batman."

Jason's jaw dropped. Even Dick seemed a little shocked by that statement. Batgirl smirked.

"Let's go," she said.

Jason couldn't help hesitantly mirroring her expression. It seemed so much easier to be hopeful and believe everything would work out when surrounded by friends and family.

* * *

 **Escape**  (MiriB)

Bruce looked Nightwing up and down. The street-rat instincts Jason never lost were telling him to escape.

"This explains why Red Hood's reports stopped," Bruce mused.

Batman shifted closer to Nightwing's side. Robin increased his glare up at his father.

"Come on, you have to love what he's done with the suit," Batgirl said. "It's almost as nice as mine."

Bruce gave her a flat look and she waved it off.

"I've unsealed the files relating to the Red Hood incident," Red Robin announced over the phone. "Look, B, it's not like anyone was using the Nightwing suit and name. And Dick was the one to suggest it."

"Dick's not in his right mind when it comes to decisions like this," Bruce responded. The quickness of his response was probably the reason he didn't think through what he was saying and how it could be taken.

He certainly didn't see the fist coming until it made contact with his face.

"Well, I think it's safe to say he accepts  _you_ ," Dick grumbled. He had pulled off the cowl after punching Bruce in the jaw in his flash of anger. He was mad that Bruce would even suggest that he was incapable just because he had lost his memories. He was able to make an informed decision! He was not broken, impaired or whatever Bruce was implying!

Then he turned on his heel and stormed out, cape flapping out behind him.

"That… could have gone better," Stephanie commented.

* * *

 **Nest**  (Ki-Chan Riker)

Red Robin soared high above the streets of Gotham. His target was the black shadow which had been storming through Gotham's streets, taking down criminals quickly and brutally.

Searching high was their best chance of finding him, or so everyone hoped. In truth, they weren't sure whether this Dick would like high places the way he had before.

When Red Robin found him, his heart constricted. Dick was sitting behind a gargoyle, curled up with the cape around him and his gaze on the lights of the city below them. He gave off a hurt and alone atmosphere which made Red Robin hesitate before landing.

Batman shouldn't be like this.

Red Robin silently walked over and plopped down next to him.

"You know all that stuff you said to Jason?" he said softly. "It applies to you too. We don't want you to leave either and we will find you too."

They sat in silence for a few moments.

"I should probably go apologise," Batman sighed. "I've been prone to fits of anger but I've never lashed out at another person before. Not like that. Before I held it in so it was only the furniture in my apartment that suffered."

"We all think B should apologise," Red Robin said. "You were wrong to hit him but he was wrong to say what he did. I'm sorry my comment caused him to say that."

"It's not your fault," Batman said. He looped an arm around Red Robin, wrapping him in half the cape.

Because Batman had been so down before, Red Robin didn't fight the half-hug. Besides, the cape was warm and provided a shield against the wind.

"I don't know why but the cape makes me feel safe when I curl up like this," Batman mused quietly. What he left unsaid was that he didn't want to give it up.

They sat there for a while, until Black Bat found them.

* * *

 **Siblings**  (Ki-Chan Riker)

Dick didn't know what he was doing. He knew that Batman was supposed to be above moping about atop tall buildings but he couldn't help it.

It was how he felt.

At least Red Robin's presence helped elevate the loneliness a little. He was grateful that the teenager didn't say much.

"Found you," Black Bat said, announcing her presence on the other side of Batman. Red Robin pulled away, out from under the cape and Batman grabbed his arms to keep him from falling off the building.

"Black Bat!" Red Robin scolded. "Don't scare me like that!"

"Sorry," she said, moving to perch on the gargoyle. "We have been looking for you."

"Me? Or Batman?" Red Robin questioned.

"Batman. And you. You stopped checking in."

Red Robin's face flushed and he checked his comm. He had switched it off.

"Oops."

Batman gave a single chuckle.

"Hey!" Nightwing called, swinging and leaping over. "You two idiots had us all worried!"

"They were adorable," Black Bat said. They were confused until she pulled out her phone and showed Nightwing the picture she took of Red Robin cuddled under Batman's cape.

Red Robin and Batman both wondered with embarrassment when she had taken that picture.

Nightwing smirked.

"Indeed," he agreed, "send me a copy?"

"Don't send him a copy, Black Bat!" Red Robin said. "Please don't!"

"Shh, kid. The adults are talking."

"Black Bat. Listen to Red Robin," Batman said.

"Uh-uh," Nightwing tutted, "you've been around almost as long as Superboy, which isn't long enough to be counted in matters such as providing of future blackmail."

Red Robin gave Nightwing a light slap on the arm for bringing up Dick's memories again.

"It's okay," Batman said, standing up. He smiled at Nightwing. "I like how you can joke about it.  _He_ just treats it as a huge issue."

"That's the Boss in a nutshell," Nightwing responded with a shrug. "You need to bounce back. Or spend a few nights at Red Robin's place."

"What about your place?" Red Robin suggested in a suspicious tone.

"Uh, bachelor pad?" Nightwing pointed out. "No big or little brothers there. I need a place where I can take a lady."

"She's not a lady if she comes home with you," Black Bat said. Her brothers started at her in shock. Nightwing suppressed a snort of laughter.

"Right. Moving on," Batman said, slightly weirded out by wherever Black Bat had learnt that.

Nightwing took control of the conversation again. He hadn't been serious with his comment anyway. "In all seriousness, you can come to my place but, we'll probably end up killing each other. Remember, I saw your apartment."

"What was wrong with my apartment?"

Nightwing listed off a list of things which basically boiled down to Dick being a slob and him, a neat-freak.

"An odd-couple," Black Bat pointed out, "so you should get along. That happens in the TV shows."

"No," Batman and Nightwing responded in unison.

"I'm not moving in with him," Batman pointed out. There was no plans for that. "Besides, I doubt he would want Damian living with him."

"I'll take the kid over you. He has a neat room," Nightwing reminded them. Batman snorted and Red Robin smiled.

* * *

 **History**  (Ki-Chan Riker)

"Did we date?" Dick asked, causing Barbara to drop her fork in surprise. He had asked to visit and she had jokingly told him to bring food if he wanted an audience with the Oracle.

To her surprise, he had done exactly that and brought her favourite Chinese food. It was such a  _Dick_  thing to do that she almost broke down in tears.

She had missed him. His jokes, his attitude and his dedication to helping people. But, he hadn't come back complete. She realised that when he gave her blank looks, like he didn't completely understand who she was or how she fit in with the group.

She realised after a while that she didn't think it was a bad thing. This Dick didn't know her with two legs so he didn't focus on the wheelchair the way people who knew her before did. He didn't need to adjust where he was standing or ask if she was okay doing something she had done a thousand times before.

It made her feel bad thinking it because his situation shouldn't make her feel better. Not when Dick sometimes seemed like he was the disabled one with his missing memories.

"I'm sorry?" she questioned when he stared at her innocently searching for an answer.

"Did we date?" he repeated.

She put her Chinese on the table and suppressed a sigh.

"No. Everyone thought we would though. And then you left and started dating Kori and she was good for you… in a way I wasn't."

He gave her a confused look.

"We were never encouraged to display our deepest emotions so we didn't really bring that out in each other. But Kori, she managed to get you to. I'm not good enough to be able to do that."

Dick had a thoughtful look on his face.

"I don't know if that's it," he mused. "But if it is, then I've kind of lost that." He pointed to his head. "Missing memories, you see?" He smiled and leant over the table. "I'd like to kiss you, if that's okay."

Barbara's face heated up and she started babbling;

"Is this really a good time? I mean, Bruce just returned and what would he think and what would my father think, you might not remember but I don't think my father-" Dick's hand covered her mouth.

"Kiss," he stated. "Yes or no? Nod or shake?"

Barbara nodded and he took his hand away.

It was a short, chaste kiss. Just a press of their lips together, something innocent. She recalled that they had kissed like this before… before Dick had left and before it could become something more than childish flirting.

"Now, a date. Tomorrow or the day after? What do you think?"

His face was so light and eager that she couldn't help laughing, her chest light and bubbly.


	21. Bruce and Dick

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Notes: I will be going away over the weekend (Saturday - Monday) and so will be uncontactable due to no internet where I'm staying (with my nonni - grandparents). There will also be no updates to any of my stories over that period of time. I quickly churned out this chapter in order to inform you guys (so mistakes will stay unfixed until I get back too).

 

**Bruce and Dick**

* * *

**Persistence**  (yangires)

_Definition: the continued or prolonged existence of something_

This was the talk Dick had not been looking forward to. Downright dreading. According to Jason, Tim had his in the office and the family had been witnesses to Jason's.

Dick's was in the privacy of Bruce's study, without even Alfred's presence looming over them to remind them to be civil.

"It seems things ran smoother than I thought while I was away," Bruce started out by saying. "You've done a good job."

"Why does this feel like a 'thank you, now be on your way'?" Dick asked. He hated those. He could still remember that attitude back when he was a police officer. Interviewing victims in Bludhaven had the same feeling, especially since they had thought no one cared and the cops were just going through the motions.

_'Yes, I guess I should thank you for taking my statement even though the criminals are long gone and you've wasted my morning. Now be gone.'_

Dick still blushed as he recalled Amy explaining that to him. He hadn't understood the tone at first and it burned to learn that they just wanted him gone.

He hated feeling like a nuisance and he hated feeling left out.

"If I said it was?" Bruce said, watching carefully for his reaction.

Dick just managed to hold back on hitting him again. Bruce's bruise from the last time he punched him had just faded. Or Alfred was covering it up with make-up, Dick wasn't sure which.

"I'd say I don't agree."

Bruce raised his eyebrows and yet, his face was still unreadable.

"Explain."

Dick took a deep breath.

"You can kick me out this manor. You could even take Batman from me, bar my access from everything related to Batman. But! You can't keep me off these streets. Not while the people I care about are out there. Surely you can step aside and let a new Batman step up. Batgirl, Robin, now even Nightwing are Gotham names which have been passed to new people as those before them grew older. Batman's already the same!" Dick paused to breathe and it was Bruce's turn to speak.

"Then tell me why you, the man who a year ago was so against our vigilante way of life, became Batman and is now defending your right to be Batman?"

Dick froze. Tears pricked at his eyes as he recalled one of the few experiences which pre-dated waking up in hospital. Only a few spoken sentences between someone else (Bruce, he knew now) and a young him.

_'Never to swerve from the path of righteousness.'_

He reminded himself that men didn't cry. That's what the nurses at the hospital had told him towards the end of his stay, when they had gotten over their sadness for mysterious man having no memories but he was still terrified of facing the world without knowing who he was.

"I swore, didn't I?" he said. He cursed as the tears dripped down at Bruce's hard expression. Why did that hurt so much? Those words locked in his heart, what did he care if Bruce recalled them?

"What? Dick?" Bruce questioned, the façade cracking. The older man got up. "You remember?"

 

Dick had gone to see Martian Manhunter for advice as well as Wally. He couldn't go to Superman, Clark was Bruce's friend first. Martian Manhunter had been there for him during his time as Batman.

He had explained that he had no idea what he wanted now that the original Batman was back.

 _"Do you want things to change?"_  Martian Manhunter had asked him.

The answer to that was 'no' however, Dick knew that change was sometimes enviable.

_"Then pick a change you can live with. Maybe something small."_

 

Dick knew what he was about to reveal wouldn't be small. It would change things but he figured it was a change he could live with.

It occurred to him that maybe he was testing Bruce and his family. Seeing whether they would stay by his side or turn him out. If they turned him out, then maybe it wouldn't sting as much if he wasn't Batman anymore.

"To fight ' _against crime and corruption and never swerve from the path of righteousness'_?" Dick quoted as he wiped his eyes. "Why do you think I became a cop? I woke up with those words in my head. Didn't realise where they came from until you died." He looked up at Bruce, who was taller than him while standing. "Until I went to see Martian Manhunter. I asked him to retrieve my lost memories. However, he found they weren't lost. Bruce, they're gone and he doesn't think they'll ever come back." He radiated an aura of 'hurt me, please, until I don't care about you and yours'. He felt uncertain and unsure. "You and everyone else, you think with enough time I'll remember everything. I'm telling you that's not going to happen." He finished there and waited, eyes on Bruce's expressions. He waited for the moment Bruce would order him out of the house and out of his life.

Bruce stepped forward. Dick held his breath and waited.

"You remember your oath?" Bruce questioned his face and voice full of awe.

Dick breathed a sharp breath in. That's what Bruce choose to focus on? He nodded, confirming it once again.

Bruce stared at him in silence.

"Talk to me," Dick said nervously. He wanted this over so his stomach could stop doing flip-flops.

"I'm amazed. And surprised. Of all the things to remember, you remember that. You should know, I don't wish this life on anyone. But it seems not even memory loss can dissuade you for long, Dick."

Dick gave him a confused look, wondering what he was talking about.

"You don't remember but I've tried to make you quit, to hang up your cape so to speak, a few times. Each time, you pushed through. Becoming Robin, Nightwing and now Batman. If I asked you to fight to keep the cowl, you probably would, wouldn't you?"

Dick nodded. If Bruce ordered him away, he would listen but, if there was a chance he could keep being Batman, he would take that.

"I'd like to continue being Batman without a fight," Dick said.

Bruce thought about that for a bit. Then he nodded.

"What?" Dick could hardly believe his luck.

"I still need to get out there-"

"You can have the Justice League!" Dick said quickly. "Or just take over to give me a break sometimes! I don't mind as long as I'm out there most nights."

Bruce smiled.

"In that case, we'll need to keep up with each other's reports. Every Monday morning, maybe right after Sunday patrol, I will quiz you on things in my reports to see if you've been paying attention. We can't let any criminals slip through the cracks because there's two of us on the case. Communication will be key."

"No worries about that, Bruce. I've been a cop, remember? I had to work with a partner during that time too!" Dick was smiling now, excited. The only reminder of the tears he had shed was the slight redness around his eyes.

Bruce found he was still smiling too. Dick made it sound all exciting and he couldn't help but be swept away in his enthusiasm.

He found himself thinking about Dick's training and what he could add to it. Maybe some different fighting styles and throw in some weapons. He could get Jason to show Dick some street fighting so that Dick knew what to expect from people on the street. There were reports they needed to go through and history to catch up on.

Bruce could get used to training the new Batman.

* * *

 **Tradition**  (Ki-Chan Riker)

_Definition: Passed down from generation to generation_

Dick swept Bruce's feet out from under him. He flinched back as Bruce flipped, feet heading straight for his face.

"Come on, Dick! Get those feet off the ground!" Bruce ordered. Dick swallowed and launched another kick towards Bruce's side which was easily parried. "If you fought like this as Batman, then how did you survive the year?"

"I thought we were sparring?" Dick questioned in confusion.

"We are. We spar like we fight," Bruce responded and threw a punch which Dick twisted to avoid. "And I want to see how much your body remembers."

Dick had spent months of his new life trying to suppress the leaps and flips as such things weren't recommended for police officers, their image or their fighting style. It wasn't easy to let go of that control, even though he had been able to let go a little in the Bat suit.

"Okay," Dick responded a little hesitantly. Then he leapt over Bruce, hands planted on his shoulder. Instead of going right over, at the peak of his handstand, he moved into a cartwheel. Dick dropped off Bruce's side, while Bruce was twisting and expecting him behind him. He kicked out, aiming towards the back of Bruce's knees and brought him partway down.

"Good job," Bruce said as he straightened up and slipped out of Dick's attempt to slam him to the ground. "That's using what your parents taught you."

Dick smiled and rolled his eyes. It was an odd thing to say to someone with amnesia.

"Think you can keep it up?" Bruce asked.

Dick's smile turned to a smirk as he felt his body loosen up, ready for the familiar moves.

"Of course," he responded confidently.

* * *

 **White**  (MiriB)

"Oh-"

"My-"

"Goodness gracious!" Jason cried out, earning glares from his brothers. "No one appreciates my theatrics," he lamented. He had done an over-the-top gasp and everything.

"-tt-" Damian responded.

Tim just turned back to the screen. On screen, a man in a white shirt ran across the pavement. He reached a bench and flipped over it. Stairs? He leapt down the railing. A wall? He did a number of bouncing and bounding tricks to get atop it.

"So this is how Dickie-bird spends his Wednesday nights," Jason commented in an impressed tone. They were impressive tricks. Things they did on a nightly basis but Dick somehow made them look good. "Who wants to tell Dad?"

"This explains how Grayson managed to stay in good form," Damian commented, his eyes never leaving the screen.

"He's going to want to pull back on it though, just in case someone recognises him or links him to Batman," Tim said. Jason lightly wacked him over the head.

"Stop being paranoid." He was just glad Dick seemed to have a hobby outside of fighting crime. Free running suited him.


	22. Collision Pt1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This 'One Little Change' universe collides with another. It's going to be (controlled) chaos.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Notes: I'm using _Italics_ to help differentiate between the two different universes. Those from the other universe (not the one from this story) will have their name/title in _Italics_. Pronouns (he, she, it, etc) will not be in Italics because the speaker should (hopefully) be clear since that's kind of the point of pronouns...I've tried to make it as clear as possible which character is from which universe.

**Collision Pt1**

* * *

**League**  (yangires)

Red Robin looked at the  _Justice League_  before them.  _Batman_  had lines around his mouth, deep ones which told of his age and marked him as older than Dick.  _Wonder Woman_  and  _Superman_  stood beside him, looking at them like they were the odd ones.  _Martian Manhunter_  floated before them and Red Robin's training allowed him to feel the foreign presence skimming across his mind. It didn't probe deeper and for that Red Robin was glad.

He didn't want to appear hostile.

Beside him, Nightwing was tense. Red Robin knew that his brother was worried about him.

"This isn't our Justice League," Nightwing said as if Red Robin hadn't already figured that out. Maybe it was for the  _Justice League's_  benefit, to inform them that they weren't supposed to be here.

 _Wonder Woman_  turned to  _Batman_.

"Perhaps you should contact your brood?" she suggested.

"No,"  _Batman_  growled. His voice was darker than their Bruce's. It sent chills down Red Robin's back and made him want to stand tall and not show weakness. "I will take them to Gotham."

"Oh joy," Nightwing muttered sarcastically.

* * *

 **Itch**  (yangires)

Something itched under  _Red Robin's_ skin. It normally happened before something big.  _Batman_  calling them all to the cave because the  _Justice League_ found something was all the hint he needed.

 _Red Hood_ standing at the computers and waiting was just overkill in the warning department.

"I just don't get what would require all of us,"  _Nightwing_  commented.

"Well, keep thinking 'Wing because I don't know and I don't care, unless B's out to send me back to Arkham."  _Red Hood_ noticed his presence that moment. "Hey,  _Replacement_. He call you too?"

"Yeah. I'm guessing you have no idea why," he responded dryly. He received two shrugs in response. For two people who fought a lot,  _Dick_  and  _Jason_  seemed to sync at truly annoying times.

"I don't know why father called all of you." And there was  _Robin_ , perched atop the dinosaur as if to make a grand entrance… or just stay away from them. "I'm the only one he needs."

"Not if he's calling us, kid!"  _Red Hood_ shot back.

"Don't fight in here,"  _Nightwing_ ordered.

Thankfully, the Batmobile chose that moment to pull up. They all waited for Batman to step out and explain why they had been gathered.

Instead, they put it together themselves when a Nightwing in cargo-like pants and a hesitant Red Robin stepped out of the back seats.

 _Batman_ stormed towards them.

"All hands on deck while we find a way to send them back."

His four partners shared looks. Working together? And where did those two come from?

"Hey, no need to get all worked up over us," Nightwing said. His voice was different to  _Dick's_. He kept talking, oblivious or ignoring their surprise. "If you just give us access to the Batcomputer and tools, I'm sure we can work up a way out of here ourselves."

Behind him, his Red Robin nodded.

"Jason?"  _their Nightwing_ questioned in surprise, recognising the voice as similar to  _their Red Hood's._

The other Nightwing froze. He eyed the red coating  _their Nightwing's_  chest and his muscles twitched. For someone trained to control every aspect of their body, it was as good as a flinch. He looked over at  _their Red Hood._

"You haven't been Nightwing?" his voice was flat, trying to hide whatever pain he felt.

 _Their Red Hood_ smirked, a cold and ugly expression. "Well, does that time I went around messing with his reputation count?"

"It was just a question!" the other Red Robin spat, seeing how  _their Red Hood's_ comments hurt his Nightwing.

"-tt- Pathetic. Even more than you, Todd. And you, Drake,"  _their Robin_ decreed from his perch.

"Where am I?"  _their Nightwing_ asked. His tone was worried and kind, designed to distract and coax answers out of them.

The other Nightwing didn't bother to answer, moving towards the computer which confirmed his fingerprints as  _Jason Todd,_ even though he wasn't from this world.

"You're probably back home, trying to figure out how to bring us back," the other Red Robin explained.

 _Red Robin_  wondered why these visitors felt strange. It wasn't just because he was faced with another him but there was something different. A comradery which was tiny and growing in this world was fully grown among these two. The other Red Robin stood near his Nightwing, ready to protect him if need be.  _Red Robin_ could see that.

Even though they were all worried about a Jason Todd being on the Batcomputer.

"I don't like these guys,"  _Red Hood_ commented.

"I think they're alright,"  _their Nightwing_ said. He eyed the other Nightwing cautiously though.

* * *

 **Dickie Bird**  (Sapphire Roz)

"Ask him, Dickie Bird,"  _Red Hood_ said, nudging  _his Nightwing._ He wanted to know why the other him wasn't Red Hood but Nightwing.

"Why don't you ask him?"  _his Nightwing_ shot back in an annoyed tone.

"Because you're curious too. Besides, I don't think he'll answer, considering how I answered his question."

"With the scathing truth, phrased so you could annoy people? Like usual?"  _his Nightwing_ commented.

"Some help you are,"  _Red Hood_ grumbled before walking over to the other Nightwing _._  Maybe this one would be cooler. "Hey. Almost done?"

"Nah. There's a lot of calculations in this. Way beyond the high school and even college maths they forced upon us."

 _Red Hood_ froze for a moment. High school and college?  _Him_? Nah. The other Nightwing must have been referring to what Bruce made him learn while he was Robin.

"Shouldn't the Replacement be doing that? Or is your Replacement not as good at maths as ours?"

The other Nightwing paused and turned to look at him.

"What makes you think he isn't already? Kid is a genius hacker," he said with a pointed glance at the Red Robins. Indeed, his Red Robin had some kind of small terminal out and was typing away.

Then the alarm started going off.  _Their Red Robin_  pulled out a similar terminal and started typing.

"Incoming!" was all he had time to say before the entire space around them warped.  _Their Robin_ cried out as he slipped from the dinosaur and into a void for a moment,  _their Nightwing_ rushing to catch him.

And then, when  _Red Hood_  considered letting his stomach rebel completely and hurl on the Batcave floor, it stopped.

"Batman," another Bruce growled in a very disappointed tone. "I believe you messed at the zone algorithm."

"Or the number of people," another Dick mused, tapping the top of the cowl he was wearing and looking thoughtful.

"Or it could have messed with our algorithm and caused this mess!" their Nightwing responded emotionally.

 _Red Hood_ noticed that the rest of his group was just as floored as him by seeing Dick in the Batsuit, again, with Bruce Wayne standing beside him and looking stern.

* * *

**Meet the Alternates**

* * *

**Kid**  (CaraLee)

"Too many cooks in the Algorithm kitchen," this world's Nightwing pointed out as the problem which caused their universes to collide.

"Great,"  _the_   _other world's_   _Robin_ grumbled. "How do we fix it?"

"One person works on it," this world's Bruce Wayne explained. "I'll do it."

 _The other world's Batman_ followed Bruce Wayne to the computer and settled in to watch him go through the Algorithm.

This world's Robin looked over all the people gathered.

"Does anyone want tea?" he asked suddenly as the thought occurred to him.

"Tea?"  _his alternate_ questioned in disbelief.

Batman smiled proudly down at his Robin.

"Guests are traditionally offered a hot beverage," Robin explained, "and my preference is for tea."

 _His alternate_ stared, eyes wide behind the mask.

"Where did you learn that?"

"Jason," Robin responded. His second eldest brother had written a kind of 'guide book' for living at Wayne Manor. It had been his eleventh birthday present.

"Ah,  _'How to Survive the Cave and the World Above It_ ," this world's Nightwing mused with a nostalgic smile on his face. "Subtitled,  _'So You're a Wayne Now'_."

A number of people in hearing range smirked.  _Jason's alternate, Red Hood,_  just glared disapprovingly.

"That's not a bad idea,"  _the alternate Red Robin_ mused. "Hey,  _Hood_ , why didn't you make something like that for  _our Robin_?"

"Why would I make something like that in the first place?"  _Red Hood_  almost bellowed angrily. He glared at the Robins. "Kid, why do you even need a book like that?"

"It's very helpful," this world's Robin responded honestly. "There's even a section on beating up kids at school while keeping the image of a helpful student. It's very manipulative and freeing."

"Say what?" this world's Batman commented. "Is that why your report cards started calling you 'a good kid' as well as 'helpful and quiet'?"

"Teachers are easy to manipulate with Todd's tricks," his Robin responded with a shrug. "It's like chess."

"I love chess," his Nightwing added in a wistful tone. Batman shook his head in fond disbelief while  _his counterpart, Nightwing,_ gave a quiet and fond chuckle.

"You go to school?"  _the alternate Robin_  questioned in disbelief. "And how is it like chess? There's no rules to how the pieces move!"

This world's Robin just smirked at his ignorance. Jason's book had explicitly talked about the rules of social interaction; like the offering guest beverages thing.

"At least our little brat doesn't try to hide the killing machine he is,"  _the alternate Red Robin_ said.

"You're trying to insult me, Drake, but have failed as I take your words as a complement,"  _his Robin_ responded.

"I'm getting a head ache,"  _Red Hood_  commented with a pained expression. If this wasn't resolved soon, he was going to shoot someone.

He might just shoot someone anyway.


	23. Collision Pt2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Notes: The characters from the One Little Change world will be referred to as 'this world's' or 'double'. The characters from the canon based world are _'the other world's'_ or _'the alternate'_.

 

**Collision Pt2**

* * *

**Volume**  (yangires)

Bruce and  _the alternate Batman_ informed them that reprogramming the Algorithm was going to take a while and that they should find a way to coexist for that time.

The Robins started a game of chess, each saying how much better they and their universe was to the other.

The Red Robins turned up the volume on their computers and started playing a game together. They were tied.

 _Red Hood_ stood in the shadows, watching everything. This world's Nightwing shot him curious glances and slowly wandered over to him.

 _The alternate Nightwing_  was slightly surprised when this world's Batman walked up to him and requested that he follow him to the gym.

 

 _The alternate Nightwing_  looked his double over as they stripped the armour from their uniforms and dressed in clothes good for sparring.

"Why are we doing this?" he asked, slightly confused. There was something about his double which bothered him. Maybe it was because his double was still Batman while he had given the name and suit back to Bruce. Maybe it was because Jason's double in this world held the Nightwing mantle.

"Because I want to know what it's like to fight you," Dick responded. He ran a hand along the side of his head, a nervous tic which  _the alternate Dick_ was certain he didn't possess.

They exchanged a couple of blows. His double was not as acrobatic as he was and  _Dick_ wondered if that was because Batman's cape weighed him down.

"So, why is Jason this world's Nightwing?" he asked conversationally as he bounced off the wall and over his double's head.

"I gave the Nightwing name and costume to him," his double responded, ducking and twisting out of a way of a roundhouse kick.

 _The alternate Dick_ gasped as a foot connected with the back of his knees. They buckled and he flipped onto his hands to keep from falling to the floor.

"Why?" he gasped out, spinning on his hands with his legs out to keep his double from performing any follow-up attacks while he regained his balance.

"Because he couldn't be Red Hood anymore. Not with people thinking that he was a mass murderer."

 _The alternate Dick_  called the match as the discrepancy sunk in. He faced his double as he questioned, "but Red Hood is a mass murderer."

His double gave a short disbelieving huff.

"Jason? No way. There have been a few times he's messed with people who thought themselves outside the law and a few times his actions have led to the death of a criminal, we've all had that happen, but murdering someone in cold blood? Jason would never. He works harder than any of us to be more than the criminals we catch."

 _The alternate Dick_  raised his eyebrows in surprise.

" _My_   _Red Hood_ is a mass murderer. He's tried to kill me, Tim and he shot Damian. Wonder what caused that difference."

Dick shrugged. He had no idea why  _the alternate Jason Todd_ became a murderer and their Jason Todd didn't. It probably didn't help that the Jason he knew had already been Red Hood when they met and he couldn't remember what Jason was like younger.

"What I'm curious to know, is why you work with him if he's a murderer?" Dick asked.

"Jason is… Jason. He's still an ex-Robin and because of that, he's one of us. Besides, he's working on the killing thing. I hope."

There was a shout from the cave. Both Dicks shared a worried look before running out to see what their brothers were doing.

* * *

**Brothers**  (Sapphire Roz)

 _Red Hood_ was on the ground, the Robin double and the Red Robin double sitting atop him.

"You don't get to fire your gun in here," his double said, picking up his gun from where it had fallen. "And attacking any of us is foolish."

 _Red Hood_ swore at him, letting him know exactly where he could place that opinion.

"You jumped to protect him,"  _the alternate Red Robin_  commented to his and Robin's double.

"Of course we did," Red Robin responded, "we protect each other."

"-tt-, I would like to think any version of me does not need protection,"  _the alternate Robin_ commented.

"Hey! You could get them off me!"  _Red Hood_ growled. His brothers just started down at him with flat expressions which communicated 'no' clearly.  _Red Hood_ muttered a few more choice words under his breath.

"Did Alfred not wash Jason's mouth out with soap in your world?" this world's Bruce asked  _his alternate_  with a raised eyebrow. He hadn't heard language like that inside the manor for a long time.

"Kind of hard to get him to curb the swearing habit when he hasn't been at the manor for a long time,"  _the other world's Batman_ responded. There was a tinge of sadness to his sentence.

"Uh… what happened?" this world's Dick asked as he took in the scene. His brothers sitting atop the  _Red Hood_ , who he had just been informed was a mass murderer.

"Jason, what did you do?"  _his alternate_ questioned. They were still dressed in their workout clothes.

"Why do you automatically assume it's my fault?"  _Red Hood_ snapped back. "It's not my fault the me in this world is a pushover!"

"Pushover?" this world's Nightwing shot back angrily.

"Don't fight!"  _the other world's Dick_ ordered. It just made both versions of Jason to glare at him. "Look, we'll only be together for a few hours. Fighting won't prove anything."

"It'll prove I'm better than the Golden boy's replacement,"  _Red Hood_ grumbled.

"I could beat you with a hand tied behind my back," this world's Nightwing responded.

"I would expect this conversation from Damians,"  _the other world's Red Robin_ pointed out.

"I doubt Damian would be willing to punch himself in the face," this world's Dick commented, taking in the red mark on his brother's cheek. "That's what started this after all," he deduced.

* * *

**Daddybats**  (Sapphire Roz)

 _The alternate Batman_ stood up and growled for the doubles to get off  _Red Hood._

"No more fighting or I'll call this world's Alfred down here."

"Are they always like that?" Bruce asked  _his_   _alternate._ He received a short grumble in response. "Is that a yes?"

"Of course. I have to keep my eyes on them almost all the time otherwise they end up trying to kill each other."

His words earned him an offended, 'hey!' shouted at him by the four people in question.

"Huh," Bruce responded in an interested tone.

"You don't watch yours?"

"Dick and I share information and files but Jason takes care of making sure everyone's behaving. When Jason's not interested or out of town, Steph takes over. Of course, Oracle looks after all of them."

"Jason,"  _his alternate_ stated. "You let Jason look after them?"

"He found Tim."

"And brought him home!" this world's Jason added, linking his Tim to the metaphorical puppy or pet which follows one home.

"Jason found Tim?"  _the alternate_ Dick questioned, looking between the two Jasons and two Tims. "That's… not how it happened on our world."

"Caught the kid following us one night," this world's Jason shrugged. "He made a good friend."

"So, you must have met Tim earlier in this universe,"  _the other world's Dick_ commented.

"What makes you say that?" this world's Jason asked while his Dick gave  _his alternate_ a curious look.

"Because he came to us,"  _the other world's Dick explained_. "You didn't spot him following you. No one did."

"I got sloppy after Robin returned," this world's Red Robin said in his defence. Then everyone from his world paused for a moment as  _the alternate Dick's_ words sunk in. "You remember? Hey, did we meet at the circus in your universe too?" He bounced up to  _the_   _alternate Dick_ , face alight with something like hope.

Something which made this world's Dick's stomach churn and eyes sting.

"Uh, yeah. I remember meeting my world's Tim. Why?"  _alternate Dick_ gave his double a look but his double looked away.

"Yeah. Did yours forget you or something?"  _alternate Red Robin_ questioned. When no one answered, he added, "what about the photo, that's evidence?"

This world's Dick flinched at the mention of the photo. Guilt rushed through him.  _His alternate_  remembered their parents and what happened to them. He didn't.

Why? Why was it this way?

"You idiot!" this world's Jason bellowed at the Red Robins.

"Oh no," this world's Red Robin said, realising too late what his words had unintentionally done.

"What?"  _alternate Red Robin_ questioned in confusion. He looked back and forth between them, wondering if his words had been a little too close to the truth. "Did something happen to the picture? Or to Dick's memories?"

This world's Dick sighed and pulled part of his hair back. He wiped at it with his hand, revealing a small but, when your attention was drawn to it, noticeable scar. _His alternate_ recognised it as the place his double had been touching earlier.

"What happened?" he asked his double.

"Gunshot, almost drowning, I don't know what else," Dick explained, "I only have the Teen Titans' reports to tell me what happened. I don't have any memory of the incident. Or of my life before."

The cave was silent.  _The other world's Batman_  muttered something quietly to Bruce.

"He was missing after the incident," this world's Bruce responded, "Jason found him working as a cop in Bludhaven."

"I was a cop in Bludhaven,"  _the alternate Dick_  said. "But I didn't have anything like that happen to me."

The ten of them shared looks. They all thought it strange.

* * *

**England**  (Ki-Chan Riker)

"I went to England to try and revive Bruce after he 'died',"  _the alternate Dick_ said. When he saw the looks he was getting, he quickly added, "yeah, it was a stupid plan."

"Really stupid,"  _his Robin_ commented with a frown.

"We didn't try anything like that," his double said as he shared a look with his Robin. "Not to say we didn't miss our Bruce," he was silent for a moment. "But, we don't choose who lives and dies."

"Hah!"  _the other world's Red Hood_ barked a laugh.

"So, how did your Dick lose his memories?"  _the alternate Red Robin_ asked his double.

"He was attacked. By a criminal. Gerard Wray. Do you know who he is?" He received a head-shake in response. A negative. "Well, I guess if he didn't attack your Dick then he wouldn't be memorable."

"'Memorable'," this world's Jason Todd growled. "He should be forgotten. Left to rot."

"Why not just shoot him back?"  _his alternate_  suggested. This world's Jason Todd glared at him.

"Left to rot is better." He smiled, teeth flashing. "Although I should visit him and let him know he didn't kill him like he thought."

"So why didn't that happen to me?"  _the alternate Dick Grayson_ mused.

They were all silent, pondering that question.

"It's not just Dick though,"  _the other world's Red Hood_ reminded them. "I mean, I'm Nightwing in this world and the Replacement and Brat seem to get along better. Oh, and Bruce has somehow been convinced to give up the cape and cowl."

"Probably because I'm used to having you all around," Bruce called back. The group sighed as they should have expected Bruce and  _his alternate_  to be listening. "I had both Red Robin and Red Hood operating with me as partners. And then Dick returned and he sort of joined us. Dick and I have really just switched roles when he decided to continue being Batman. However,  _my alternate_  has only had one close partner at a time."

"Possibly because Tim joined later than he did in this world,"  _the other world's Batman_ added.

They also should have expected that they would have identified the source of their differences.

"That's not true!" both Red Robins said at the same time.

"Creepy," this world's Jason Todd declared.  _His alternate_ agreed.

"We checked the dates and there's not a huge discrepancy between them," this world's Red Robin explained.

"We both joined around the same time,"  _his alternate_ finished.

"So why are things so different?" this world's Dick questioned in a frustrated tone. Why did he lose his memories while  _his alternate_  didn't?

* * *

**Avoidable**  (yangires)

"You're wrong!"  _the other world's Red Hood_ growled. His hands were clenched and his body coiled like a spring. "There has to be something else! Something we're missing!"

The rest of the group looked at the timelines on the ground. They were same to a point. The point where Jason Todd was captured by the Joker. One timeline marked his death, the other his rescue and recovery.

And hadn't  **that**  been an interesting revelation.

"I was in Gotham at this time,"  _the other world's Dick_ pointed out. His voice was calm but those who knew him could hear the tightness in it, the effort to not break down like his brother. "Because Jason had died, I had grown distant from the Teen Titans. I moved back to Gotham for a time. That's why I probably wasn't there when Gerard Wray attacked them."

"And so you didn't lose your memories,"  _the other world's Red Robin_ said, a shiver jolting up his spine.

"And because Jason didn't die, he eventually returned to the rooftops. I was so excited to see him that I got sloppy and he spotted me," this world's Red Robin said. He was glad though. If Jason hadn't had seen him, he wouldn't have been here right now.

He looked over at  _his alternate_ and wondered if he would have had the courage to confront Dick, Alfred and Bruce with the knowledge of who they were.

 _The other world's Red Hood_ stood up. One group were worried about his reaction. The other, those of this world, reminded themselves that  _this_   _Jason_ had died in the warehouse and then somehow come back to life. A fate their Jason had somehow managed to avoid.

 _Red Hood_ snarled at them and stormed off.


	24. Collison Pt3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Notes: Steph refers to the canon-based characters as copy. And Hierarchy was about the hierarchy of the family but became Steph in this universe not being at the bottom of the hierarchy in this world (and most of them being on equal level or something like that - read into it as much as you can, I guess?).

 

**Collison Pt3**

* * *

**Talk**  (Sapphire Roz)

Jason found  _his alternate_ where  _the alternate Dick, Tim and Damian_ had suggested.

The roof.

He climbed up, ignored the little twinge of pain from pulling one of his scars too far and sat down next to the still and silent  _Jason._

This world's Jason had to change from his Nightwing suit into civvies to come up here while  _his alternate_  had just torn off his mask. It was lucky for this world's Jason because he didn't have any idea how to start this conversation beyond satisfying his own curiosity.

Jason pulled his shirt off, which was a move the Nightwing outfit would have made difficult.  _His alternate's_ eyes shot towards him, his mouth opening as if to scold him.

The scold was halted in its tracks as  _the alternate_  took in the patchwork of scars and skin over this world's Jason's chest.

"They're all over my body," this world's Jason explained. "They hurt when it's cold and sting after a hard night beating criminals. And don't get me started on how annoying it is when they're visible in a lady's presence."  _His alternate_ raised his eyebrows and Jason got to the point. "Do you have them?"

With a straight face, _his alternate_ pulled up the bottom of his shirt, exposing a small part of unscarred skin. Then he reached out and ran a hand over the scar which traced down his front. It was part of the scar which almost segregated part of his body from the rest as it traced down his back, over his shoulder and down his front.

"No,"  _the other world's Jason_ said flatly, "and I guess you didn't have to crawl out of your own grave."

"No," Jason responded, "and I'm glad I didn't have to. Everyone was overprotective after the incident but it helped me realise something."

"What's that?"

"They wanted me. Tim wanted me across rooftops," he chuckled. "And you should have heard the relief in his voice when he realised I was back. Dick wanted me here. Back then, we were there for Bruce when he couldn't be. He needed that."

 _The alternate Jason_ thought about the way  _his Dick_  seemed to always be there for  _his Bruce_  and take his side, despite how much they fought.  _His Bruce_  just had to ask and  _the Golden Boy_ would drop everything to deliver.

Was that because he died?  _Jason_  hadn't been there and so  _Dick_  had been forced to be there for  _Bruce_? Was just habit for him to drop everything for  _Bruce_  because he had done it over and over again in the past?

"I don't know," his double said when he questioned it. "If  _your Bruce_  reacted as badly as ours did, although I suspect he reacted worse since you died, then it could be why  _your Dick_  seems to cater to his every whim, well, when it's mission-related."

"What about your Dick?"  _his alternate_ asked with a smirk. He knew how his question sounded. His double did too as he mirrored his smirk.

"My Dick wouldn't cater to Bruce's whims. Hence why he's still Batman."  _The other world's Jason_ gave his double a confused look. "I don't know all the specifics, Bruce did a good job of keeping us all out during that particular conversation but Dick told Bruce that he wouldn't stop vigilantism just because he was back and apparently Bruce thinks that if Dick had to fight to keep Batman, he would."

"Hmm,"  _the other world's Jason_ mused.

* * *

 **Hierarchy**  (Ki-Chan Riker)

The blond and fabulous Batgirl awoke after a good night's sleep. She pulled on a jacket, which she had stolen from Jason's closet as he was one of the few people in this manor who had taste. She kicked her notebook, which had somehow made it onto the ground during the night. She stumbled out of her room and downstairs.

"What the #% ! is Fatgirl doing here?" Damian, she thought with a sigh. Although she really thought they were beyond this kind of reaction.

"She lives here," Damian responded in a resigned tone to…  _himself?_

She looked up.

"I'm in a nightmare," she deduced.

"–tt–," sounded twice from the kids sitting at the table. Two Damians, sitting right across from each other.

"Hey, Steph," Tim said, walking in with a cup of coffee. Steph gripped his arm, tightly.

"Do you see that?" she asked, pointing towards the two Damians.

"There was an interdimensional incident last night." It was Tim's voice but not from where Tim was. Steph turned to the other side, where a  _Tim-copy_  was sipping his cup of coffee. "We were sucked into your world."

"Regrettably,"  _Damian-copy_ grumbled.

"We didn't ask for you to come here," Damian growled at him.

"Oh…kay," Steph said slowly. "Where's Jason?"

"He's talking with _the other Jason_ ," Tim said, his tone suggesting there was more to that story.

" _Our Jason_ died once,"  _Tim-copy_ explained, "and apparently your Jason didn't. And you live here?"

That was a strange add-on to the sentence. One Steph had to think about.

"I have a room here," she said.

" _Our Steph_ doesn't. She's rarely allowed access to the cave,"  _Tim-copy_ said.

Steph frowned at that. Now, she didn't plan to move in however, she couldn't imagine not being allowed access to the cave. She was Batgirl. Cass was her best friend. Tim was her 'it's complicated' in a good way. Just asking Alfred was enough to get in.

"Well, I'm not your Steph," she responded with her hands on her hips. "And in this world, I have access to the Batcave and a room at the Manor."

"Well-"

"Nope," Steph said, cutting him off by shoving a hand in his face. It was way too early in the morning to deal with this. "I'm going to eat breakfast, not ponder the discrepancies between our universes."

 

 _The other world's Dick_ opened the door which, in his world, would have opened to his room. In this world, it opened to Damian's.

"Whose idea was it to give my room to Damian?" he questioned under his breath. "And was it even my room?"

"Well it was shut up for years," Jason said from behind him.  _The other world's Dick_ turned to face him. It was just this world's Jason,  _Dick's Jason_  must have been somewhere else.

The room being shut up wasn't hard for  _Dick_  to imagine. In this world, he vanished. Bruce must have kept his room the same as it had been, like  _his Bruce_ had done with  _his Jason's room._  The thought was not pleasant.

"So, what's up?" Jason asked when he didn't say anything.

"Nothing," he said as a response. He had been hoping that no one would find him and that he would be able to find a place in the manor where he could be alone until he could return home.

"Hmm, no," this world's Jason commented with a smirk. "I think there's something bothering you."

 _Dick_ couldn't help tensing around this Jason. In his mind he knew this Jason hadn't died however, there was not much visible physical difference between the two.

"I'm in a world that isn't my own where my little brother didn't die and things that I thought only happened because he did, still happened here." Jason gave him a confused look. "You still met Tim. I thought that the only reason we met him was because  _our Jason_  died."

There were a few moments silence as Jason absorbed that information.

"You're hoping there's some benefit to  _your Jason's_ death?" he questioned, "something which maybe rationalises why he had to die?"

It was too close to the raw truth.  _The other world's Dick_ snarled at Jason.

"I'm starting to understand why  _Red Hood_ punched you," he growled. "Don't pretend to know anything about me. I'm literally from a different world and I have no intention of learning anything more about your world. So, I'd appreciate it if you would just leave me alone. You want to know about my world? Ask  _Bruce_."

This world's Jason just watched him storm off, heading down the hall and not down the stairs.

"He's a bit of a liar, isn't he?" he commented to  _his alternate,_  who had thought it best that he stay inside the room to keep from antagonising  _Dick._

"Finally,"  _the other world's Jason_ commented in exasperated relief, "someone else sees it!"


	25. Collision Pt4

**Collision Pt4**

* * *

**Ancestors**  (Ki-Chan Riker)

So Jason couldn't trace his ancestry back to Gotham's founding or to Royalty or something. Few people aside from the rich and privileged of Gotham could. They didn't have the time or need to look back and see whether they were related to so-and-so who created whatever.

He didn't have a hard time in college because of that. A lot of people in his classes were there because they worked for Wayne Enterprises, which offered to pay college fees for any employees looking to further their education.

Being a part of one of the first families of Gotham by adoption was annoying at times. He hated how the papers were all labelling him the 'eldest Wayne child' in the wake of Dick's disappearance, like Dick didn't count anymore.

Neither of those things stopped him from getting to know people. Neither of those were reasons for him to 'drop out' of college; as Bruce liked to claim they were. At the time he had been mad at Bruce, Tim needed help adjusting to being a teenage vigilante and Steph was starting to appear on the scene. Plus, he had just broken up with his high school sweetheart and seeing her all the time was painful.

He didn't drop out because of a bad break up, another of Bruce's accusations, because he didn't really drop out. He just switched his courses to online so he could have more time for their night work. Bruce only thought he dropped out because he stopped going to campus and stopped talking about his classes.

Jason might admit that he wanted Bruce to think he dropped out. He was still mad at him for giving up on Dick.

"No, he totally left because of a bad break up," Steph was saying to  _the other world's Tim._

They were marvelling at how Wayne boys never seemed to finish college. Apparently,  _the other world's Dick_ hadn't stayed in college because he found it too boring.

"I did not!" Jason felt the need to inform everyone present.

Steph was smiling and nodding in a 'you did' way. His Tim looked at the floor as he probably knew Jason hadn't really dropped out.  _The other world's Tim_ had his thinking face on while  _the other world's Jason_ didn't really look surprised.  _The other world's Damian_ looked smug while his Damian looked curious in a way which meant trouble.

"Then, what's with all the textbooks in your room?" his Damian questioned.

Jason dropped his head to the table. Why did Dick have to train the kid to be a detective?

Now all was needed was for Alfred;

"Personally, I believe the question should be whether Master Jason has truly ever left college," Alfred commented as he brought out snacks. "And if he is just going to continue enrolling in subject after subject."

Jason really wished a hole would appear and swallow him up.

* * *

 **Gallery**  (Ki-Chan Riker)

This world's Dick suited up. An alarm had gone off in an art gallery and Batman was needed.

"Crime doesn't stop just because there's an interdimensional incident," his Bruce informed him while he grumbled about maybe having one night off while they dealt with their visitors.

"I'll go,"  _the other world's Bruce_ said. He was ready to storm away when this world's Dick grabbed his arm.

"No way," Dick said in what his Jason referred to as his 'cop voice'. "In this world, I'm Batman. I answer the calls and alarms, you sit there and make sure my Bruce gets everyone from your world home safe."

 _The other world's Bruce_ glared down at him for a few moments before relenting by taking a step back.

"Fine."

"Be safe," this world's Bruce called after him. A few moments later,  _the other world's Dick_ came down. This world's Bruce had to wonder if he had planned that.

"How much longer?"  _the other world's Dick_ asked  _his Bruce._

This world's Bruce watched and listened to their interactions.

"A few hours, possibly less,"  _the other world's Bruce_ responded.  _His Dick_ didn't seem pleased about that. "Something wrong? Are the others not behaving?"

 _The other world's Dick_ shook his head.

"It's just I'd rather be home. I mean, we left Alfred without warning so he must be worried by now."

Both Bruces raised eyebrows and  _the other world's Dick_  glared back at them both before storming over to the training mats.

* * *

 **Friends**  (Jaytodd2012)

Cassandra Cain was thought of as the quiet one in the Wayne Family. She was a picture of beauty and composure.

"Ha hahahaha ha!" she howled with laughs and giggles. Bent over at the waist, she was displaying her amusement for all to see.

"Really?" this world's Jason droned, trying to look disapproving when really he was amused that she was amused.

"It's funny," she responded. Because it was.  _The group of alternates_ all said they weren't family but she could see it in their interactions. They would die for each other, even  _the alternate Jason._  The way their bodies all shifted to 'protect' and subtly indicated to the others of their universe was adorable to see.

"It is interesting,"  _the alternate Tim_ commented, "our Cass lives overseas so we don't see her much."

"There's an idea," this world's Jason teased with a side-glance at her. Watchfulness was in that gaze as he didn't want to hurt her feelings, it was just a joke.

"I live here," she informed them. She glanced at her Jason. "My friends are here."

"Oh!" Steph suddenly gasped and then started shovelling food into her mouth. "I almost forgot!" she claimed in-between mouthfuls.

"More like, you actually forgot," this world's Tim sighed, to the confusion of everyone except Cass. He glanced at Cass who nodded.

"We're meeting friends," she informed them.

"You can't blame me for forgetting," Steph protested, "there are two of the boys! That's crazier than normal!"

Cass scanned the room.

"What," she questioned, "makes this 'crazi-er' than normal?" Everyone in the room paused. Thankfully, Cass wasn't done or there would have been a long silence. "And where is Dick?"

"Probably down in the cave,"  _the other world's Tim_  suggested.

"Both of them?" this world's Jason questioned.

"Obviously,"  _the other world's Jason_ snorted.

"Is Babs coming? I didn't hear from her?" Steph asked, ignoring the boys and asking Cass the question most important to her at this time.

Cass shook her head.

"She said she had something on."

* * *

 **Witness**  (Sapphire Roz)

_"Babs, I'm so, so, so very sorry. But something's come up and I won't be able to make it to today's date. Blame Jason. And Tim. I promise I will make it up to you as soon as we fix what's gone wrong. I'm thinking Chinese? Let me know if you're craving something else."_

That just wouldn't do, Barbara decided. It was a hard thing to clear her schedule for a few hours so she could go out and spend some time with her boyfriend.

So, whatever disaster had befallen the Wayne manor, she was going to join in. No force other than Alfred would stop her.

She timed her arrival just right. As she reached the few steps up to the door, Steph and Cass were coming out.

"Did you change your mind?" Steph asked excitedly.

"No," Barbara responded with a smile. It felt slightly vicious on her face and she wondered just how she was going to react when she finally saw Dick. "I've come to see Dick. There's something I need to speak to him about."

Steph's face was excited as she nodded and helped Babs get up the steps and into the manor.

"Babs!" Jason and Tim greeted in pleasant surprise. "You've left your Oracle post," Jason commented, "that usually means trouble for a Bat. Or a Bat's in trouble."

"Oh, quiet you," she responded automatically. It was a responsive habit she gained back when Jason was Robin and insisted on complementing and flirting with her.

She was a little sad when that stopped around the time Dick disappeared. It had been something which made Jason, Jason.

"So, who's in trouble? I'd think they were crazy but," he paused and smirked. "It was Dick, wasn't it?"

And there's the teasing. It had slowly been coming back with Dick's return. She found herself smiling.

"There's the Jason Todd I know and tolerate."

"…It's love, Babs, the phrase ends with love."

"Not for family, it doesn't," she responded, pulling him down to ruffle his hair. "So, what's going on?"

"Ow!" sounded from nearby.

"Uh…" Jason turned to Tim. Tim looked helplessly at Jason.

"Okay," Babs sighed. She turned her chair towards where the sound came from. "Come out!" she ordered.

Damian walked out, rubbing his arm. Babs found her parting in surprise as another  _Jason_  and  _Tim_  followed him out, the _Jason_  carrying his  _own Damian_. She looked them up and down quickly.

"Not time travel," she muttered to herself. This Jason didn't moved in the pained way her Jason did at times, especially when carrying heavy things. "Visitors from another dimension?" she asked them.

"Barbara, always the smart one,"  _the other Jason_ commented.  _The other world's Tim_  frowned at  _his Jason._

"They're annoying," this world's Damian declared.

"Alright," Barbara decreed, holding up a hand to silence  _the other Jason_. "I'm going to talk to Bruce and Batman." With that said, she wheeled off in the direction of the elevator to the Batcave.

"We're going to watch, aren't we?"  _the other world's Damian_ suggested in a tone which implied they were stupid if they disagreed.

"Oh yes," both Tim's responded at once.


	26. Collision Pt5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reminder: _Italics_ means the character from the canon-based universe (also known as _alternate_ ) and plan text is the 'One Little Change' version of the character (also known as double).  
>  This one was tough-ish to write. I was hoping to do more with the Dicks and their talk but, they really want to keep their distance from each other.

 

**Collision Pt5**

* * *

**Gathering** (CaraLee)

 _The other world's Dick_ paused in his practise movements right before the elevator powered up. He stood near the elevator, eyes narrowed as he waited for it to arrive.

Moments before the elevator opened,  _the other world's Dick_  seemed to retreat into the shadows. This world's Bruce watched  _his alternate_ and  _the other world's Dick_ at the same time. Bruce gave  _his alternate_ a look but  _his alternate_ didn't seem to react to  _the alternate Dick's_ behaviour.

"Alright, Bruce, give me the rundown on what's happening and connect me up with Batman," Barbara Gordon's voice seemed to project to every part of the cave as she wheeled in. She didn't even blink at the sight of two Bruce Waynes.

Which he guessed was to be expected since two of everyone else followed her off the elevator.

"Stop staring and get me Batman."

This world's Batman, Dick's voice sounded over the Batcomputer's communication program. "Actually, I'm on my way back," he said.

"Good. We need to talk," Barbara responded.

"That doesn't sound good,"  _the other world's Tim_ commented with a glance at  _his Dick._   _The other world's Dick_ nodded in agreement. There was an undercurrent of anger or annoyance in Babs' tone.

"I'm guessing she's a lot like your Barbara," this world's Tim commented to  _his alternate._

"Right down to the wheelchair,"  _his alternate_ sighed in response. It seemed neither of them liked how Barbara Gordon had been shot down and left wheelchair-bound.

The Batmobile roared as it pulled up.

"Sorry!" Dick said, coming out of the car with his hood down. "I'm not used to the steering so it screeched a bit."

"-tt- Didn't you make Grayson a flying Batmobile in this world?"  _the other world's Damian_ whispered to his double.

"I did. He ended up crashing and destroying it," this world's Damian whispered back. Apparently, it was a bad idea to have an amnesiac drive a flying Batmobile. While Dick remembered how everything worked and what to do, he didn't know Gotham's streets and ended up taking a sharp turn into a building. "And I didn't want to build him another one." If it wasn't for quick reflexes, he would have lost his brother due to something he created.

"Sounds like you have an incompetent Batman,"  _his alternate_ whispered back. "Seriously, at least my Grayson remembers father and was able to tell me about him. I bet you don't know the story about his first patrol."

"I know the story about his first police patrol," Damian quietly shot back at  _his alternate._

"-tt- And that has nothing to do with father. Face it, your Grayson doesn't even remember being a Flying Grayson, let alone Robin and Nightwing. He's no Batman,"  _the alternate_ countered _._

"He's more Batman than your Nightwing," Damian hissed back at  _his alternate._

"-tt-. I should kill you where you stand."

"You're welcome to try."

Both boys glared at the other.

"No one is incompetent here," this world's Jason informed them. He whispered to _the alternate Damian,_  "don't you dare chase our Dick away. He's perfectly capable as long as people like you don't judge him for his memories."

"I'm really sorry Babs," this world's Dick called to Barbara, pulling the cowl away from his face. She glared silently at him from her chair.

"Um, I left a message?" he said.

"Oh my," this world's Jason gasped in a hushed tone.

"What?" his Tim quickly whispered back.

"Grayson and Gordon are dat-" their Damian let out a growl as  _the other world's Tim_ covered his mouth. He was about to state the blind obvious and undermine his Tim's detective skills!

"Smart move," this world's Tim complimented, ignoring the glare  _Damian's alternate_ was giving him and the glare his muted brother was giving him.

"So, they yo-yo back and forth in this universe too?"  _the alternate Jason_ questioned as they watched this world's Dick grovel and try to explain why he didn't ask Barbara for assistance.

"No. This is new," Tim's double pointed out to him, tightly-leashed excitement in his voice.

"I actually thought this would never happen," this world's Jason commented. "Since Dick doesn't remember meeting as Robin and Batgirl and Babs wasn't going to make the first move because of that."

"Maybe that's it?"  _the other world's Tim_ commented as Barbara acknowledged that Dick's excuse of there being enough people to help as valid with a pointed glance at those gathered. "One of the things which bothered our Barbara was that she didn't understand how Dick could like-like her since she lost the ability to chase him around on rooftops."

"Don't go around analysing my relationships,"  _the other world's Dick_ stated. They had forgotten he was there.

"Can't help it,"  _the other world's Jason_ justified with a shrug. "You keep our little gossip group going, Dickie-bird. In any universe."

A moment later, everyone went silent as Babs grabbed Dick's arm and yanked him down. This world's Tim gasped while their Damian made a disgusted face, crinkling his nose and sticking out his tongue.

 _The other world's Jason_ felt his jaw drop while someone else took a sharp breath behind him.

Barbara had yanked Dick down into a kiss. It lasted a while before they pulled apart. Dick stared at Babs with a soft and tender look for a moment, which turned to embarrassment and confusion.

"Punishment," Barbara responded with a smirk, answering his question before he could ask it.

"Has your Barbara ever done anything like that?" This world's Tim asked  _the alternates_ while he and  _his alternate_ tried to calm their flaming red faces.

"Not that I know of,"  _the other world's Jason_ responded. It was almost as good as those trashy romance novels he just could not stop reading.

 _The other world's Dick_ had vanished.

* * *

 **Hoi-polloi**  (yangires)

This world's Dick needed to change out of the Batsuit. He didn't notice  _his alternate_ sneak into the changing rooms.

 _The other world's Dick_ didn't want to be here. However, right before his double had been smooched by the Oracle double,  _his Batman_ had motioned for him to move over so they could talk.

"Bruce says I should talk to you," he opened with. "Even though I don't want to."

This world's Dick looked down his alternate's chest to his feet and then back up.

"Then why are you here?" he asked. He didn't want to talk either. He had been doing such a good job at avoiding  _the alternates_ until now. Ever since he confirmed  _his alternate_ had his memories. "Do you just follow everything  _your Bruce_  says?"

 _The other world's Dick_ rounded on him, feet scuffing against the floor.

"What was with that display out there?" he demanded to know instead of answering the question. Maybe he was here just to demand answers to that. "Didn't that make you uncomfortable?" He didn't really like more than touching in public. Would losing his memories really make him comfortable with making out in the Batcave? In front of the family?

This world's Dick shifted uncomfortably.

"I did feel a little off. I guess that's why she called it punishment," he muttered. He hated how other people seemed to know things about him before he did.

"Physical affection isn't something you see much of here,"  _the other world's Dick_ commented.

There were a few moments of uncomfortable silence.

"You two are weird," this world's Jason commented. He was leaning back against the wall and was looking confused.

"I'm weird?"  _the other world's Dick_ cocked in offence. This world's Jason nodded and looked between the two.

"You two haven't looked at each other the entire time you've been in here." Jason had also realised there was some kind of guilt or something involved. Whenever they were around each other, their body language was apologetic. It was something Jason was very familiar with since his Dick used to have a bad habit of apologising whenever someone pointed out something from the past he didn't remember. He didn't voice the apologies anymore, a combination of their working with him and his observing how the 'sorry' hurt them.

Both Dicks started to respond to Jason's comment at once.

"Hey-"

"Don't-"

They stopped. Since they hadn't been looking at each other, they hadn't noticed that the other hadn't been looking either.

"I know why I don't like seeing you but why are you affected?"  _the other world's Dick_ questioned in a slightly scathing manner. "It's not like you have your memories."

This world's Dick hated the feeling in the pit of his stomach. He had looked at  _the other world's Dick_ only a handful of times during their fight. The fight he had been hoping would bring back some of his memories. However, it had only sparked emotional responses he hadn't been expecting.

"I've seen Tim's photo," he responded quietly. "The one of our parents." He scratched at his neck in a nervous manner and waited for someone to say something.

"And?"  _the other Dick_ prodded, this time in a soft manner.

"I don't remember them at all. I'll probably never remember. And seeing their faces," he looked up at  _the alternate Dick_ and winced through the curdling feeling in his gut. "And your face, reminds me of that. It hurts. They…we looked happy." He wiped at his eyes, furious that he was crying again.

He cursed as this was exactly what he had been trying to avoid! Almost all the time, he could ignore the fact that he once lived at the circus. That he had a whole other life he didn't remember. That he had been more than just a tragic story people told.

"Oh, so you realise,"  _the alternate Dick_ muttered quietly. "If it helps, we were happy. And, as for the memories, they do fade with time. I wish they didn't but… sometimes I hate how I look."

This world's Jason was surprised to hear that.

"How do we go from memories to looks?" he asked.

"I look like my dad,"  _the alternate Dick_ informed him.

"Yes?" Jason didn't get it. Wasn't it normal for people to look like their parents? Usually the opposite was supposed to be upsetting.

"When I try to imagine what my dad looked like, I just see… me," this world's Dick sighed.

"Sometimes I see my dad's face instead of mine when I look in the mirror,"  _the other world's Dick_ pointed out in an uncomfortable manner.

This world's Dick almost seemed to curl in on himself.

"Does it make you think of blood?" he asked, beginning to look rather pale.

This world's Jason bit back a curse as  _the alternate Dick_ nodded, looking bewildered and sad. It seemed not everything had been forgotten, which in this case was probably tragic.  _The alternate Dick_ didn't think it would be that easy to completely forget something which left deep mental scars.

 _The alternate Dick_ glanced over at this world's Dick, without looking at his face.

"I guess we both agree that being around each other isn't… nice so, I propose we just keep doing what we're doing."

"Sure," this world's Dick agreed.

"Great,"  _the alternate Dick_ sounded happy about that. "Then I'll let my Bruce know we talked."


	27. Collision Pt6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reminder: _Italics ___means the character from the canon-based universe (also known as _alternate_ ) or _the other world's_ and plain text is the 'One Little Change' version of the character (also known as double or this world's).

 

**Collision Pt6**

* * *

**Billboard**  (yangires)

It was as obvious as if it had been painted on a billboard. This world's Jason had a thoughtful and worried frown on his face and was constantly glancing at both his Dick and  _Dick's alternate._  He needed Cass around to tell him if this was really the right thing. The revelation in the change room seemed to suggest that both Dicks were alright with ignoring the other but it also suggested that this world's Dick still shared similarities with  _his alternate._  How much of that was due to the tiny scraps of memory his Dick still possessed and how much of it was just Dick's nature?

"You're thinking about it too hard,"  _the alternate Tim_ informed him. "Both of them seem alright and it's not like we're going to be here much longer."

"Whatever's going on with Dickey-bird is none of our business,"  _Jason's alternate_  informed him. Jason raised an eyebrow at  _his alternate._ "Well,"  _his alternate_ amended, "only if it's not useful for blackmail. Embarrassing stuff is free-for-all."

"-tt-, you're despicable, Todd,"  _the alternate Damian_ stated.

This world's Jason shot a look at this world's Tim, hiding off in the corner. Why were  _their alternates_ attaching themselves to him?

* * *

 **Wingnut**  (Sapphire Roz)

"Damian, we might need to make a few changes to the device," Barbara informed the kid from her world.

Damian glared at her and placed his pencil down in a controlled manner. There were mechanical parts spread across the table with a device in the middle. Both Bruces were hoping the device would cut out any chance of interference when they send  _the alternates_ back to their universe and Damian had tasked himself with making it.

He should have known it wouldn't be easy.

"Whatever," he sighed, flicking a wing nut across the table. The metal clinked and clanged as it bounced across the table and the ground.

* * *

 **Stuck**  (Sapphire Roz)

"You don't think we're stuck here, do you?"  _the alternate Tim_ asked his brothers.  _Alternate Jason_ just shrugged, looking like he couldn't care either way. This wasn't the first time he had travelled across dimensions however, it was a shock to find that he had survived in this universe.

"No way. Bruce will get us home,"  _the alternate Dick_ insisted.

"What? Don't like that you don't remember being the Golden boy here?"  _alternate Jason_ quipped.

He expected a scathing comment in retaliation and a batglare at least. However,  _his Dick_  just blandly commented that, "it's not that."

"Well, what is it?"  _their Tim_ asked, ever curious.

"Just a whole bunch of little things."

"Like how my death isn't the reason you met Tim?"  _alternate Jason_ commented. This time,  _Dick_  did glare at him.

 _Dick's_  voice didn't rise in volume as he replied. If anything, it became lower, like some great secret. "Is it wrong to look for reasons things happen? To try and find reasons to move on? I'm not this world's Dick, I didn't get the benefit of a mind-wipe or whatever. I still remember what it was like to live in the circus. I still remember what it was like to lose my little brother, my Little Wing, to a senseless death."

 _The alternate Dick_ knew that the 'mind-wipe' probably wouldn't let him forget either. His double probably had it even more confusing than he did, all the reactions and no understanding of why his body acted that way.

"Ach! Little Wing!" this world's Dick suddenly bellowed. He was covered in oil which had been dropped accidentally by his Jason.

"Oops," this world's Jason muttered. However, he had a wide grin on his face, calling into question whether it really was an 'accident'.

"I just finished in the changing rooms and showers!" this world's Dick whined. "How could you?"

"Bruce wanted the oil for something and I tripped," his Jason tried to explain. "Not my fault you were in the wrong place at the wrong time."

"I thought he didn't have any memories,"  _the alternate Jason_ questioned, frowning at the old nickname. "Or did you tell him about it?"

"Why would I?"  _his Dick_  responded. "That's something that he must do too."

"Huh,"  _the alternate Tim_ huffed, "he has no memories but old nicknames stick?"

"Possibly because he said it a lot, if this Jason was anything like  _our Jason," the alternate Dick_ suggested.

* * *

 **Ace**  (Sapphire Roz)

 _The other world's Damian_ had an idea. He wanted to test the skills of the Batman of this world. The Todd double's accident provided him with ample opportunity to get at the Grayson double while they were alone.

"I'm running out of shirts," the Grayson double sighed as he pulled on a white one.  _Damian_ had the strange thought that it would be a shame to mess up the white shirt with blood but pushed it away.

He was only testing this Grayson double, not destroying him.  _The alternate Damian_ slid silently across the floor. When he was close enough, he pushed off the ground and jumped up to incapacitate the Grayson double and claim victory. He was the best Robin, the ace Robin.

 _Damian's_  arms wrapped around the Grayson double's neck and he began wrapping his legs around his opponent's waist. However, before he could get a good grip, he was partly thrown off as this world's Grayson flipped forward through the air.  _Damian_ chocked the Grayson double as he was almost dislodged but he could still salvage his sneak attack.

Next moment, he was lying on his back with the weight of a fully grown man pressing him down.  _The other world's Damian_ thrashed, trapped between the floor and this world's Grayson's back.

Something stung his arm and he pulled his arms back.

"Ow!"

"Oh! Damian!" the Grayson double gasped in surprise, pulling back as he panted for breath.

 _The alternate Damian_ rubbed his arm, feeling a touch of soreness as he sat up. He didn't take his eyes from the Grayson double so he saw the apologetic expression on the man's face as he turned to confirm the identity of his attacker.

"You probably should have talked to my Damian before you tried something like that," this world's Grayson commented shyly.

 _The alternate Damian_  eyed the small knife in the victor's hand. He hadn't spotted the concealed weapon before his attack.

A mistake which cost him the match.

"Do you want me to patch up your arm or should I go get one of your brothers?"

"Do what you want,"  _the alternate Damian_ grumbled, holding out his injured arm for this world's Grayson to fuss over. It was only a surface wound, an injury to make him let go.

It seemed Dick Grayson was a skilled fighter in any world.

* * *

 **Saviour**  (Sapphire Roz)

The Bruce of this world let out a little growl as the screen lit up to inform him that this world's Superman was on his way.

"Superman, whatever you want can wait," he said, patching himself into the other hero's communications unit.

"Trust me, B. This is important."

This world's Bruce doubted it but disengaged the security system to let the superhero through.

"Come to think of it, Dick's a superman fan,"  _the other world's Jason_ mused with a smirk. "And a certain someone also seems to also have a thing for the 's' symbol. Anything like that in this world?"

"Unfortunately, my apparent survival in this world has not affected the purchasing of Super-branded items," this world's Jason commented with a sigh. "Or the recruiting of super-branded heroes."

"Whatever you're implying, stop," this world's Tim warned them, rolling his eyes.

It did stop but not because Tim asked. It stopped because Superman entered the cave. To be more accurate, when the Supermen entered the cave. As Superman was flanked by an almost exact copy of himself.

"What do you want, Clark?" this world's Bruce asked without turning around from the algorithm. He was almost oblivious to the sudden silence in the cave.  _His alternate_ was doing the same thing.

They were trying to look busy so Superman would get the hint and leave.

"Batman,"  _the other world's Dick Grayson_ sighed, shaking his head at his adoptive father's foolish attitude.

"This is a nightmare," both Damians muttered, knowingly echoing Stephanie's sentiment from earlier that day.

"Um… wow,"  _the other world's Superman_ commented as he looked around the cave. "Hey, other me, you didn't mention that Dick was still Batman in this world."

"I didn't realise. I thought Bruce would have taken the cowl back," this world's Superman responded.

At the sound of two different Superman voices, Bruce and  _his Batman alternate_ turned around. They had identical scowls on their faces at the sight of the two Supermen.

"Superman, what are you doing here?"  _the other world's Batman_ growled.

"Well, when you and your boys go missing, Gotham tends to notice and we tend to notice,"  _the alternate Superman_ said.

"I don't think our Justice League would notice if we went missing," this world's Jason whispered to his Tim. This world's Tim nodded in agreement. They didn't have a good connection to the Justice League. Dick tried to forge the bonds but with part of the League distrusting where the new Batman came from and the other part worried about how a man without memory of his training would last in the field, it went on the back-burner.

"Maybe they'd notice if it was me or Bruce," this world's Dick sighed. It was an unfortunate truth, although he didn't think the Justice League would intervene if he went missing. Again.

It seemed that, in  _the other world_  they had intervened.

 _The other world's Superman_ continued without taking heed of this world's Bat boys chatter. "Anyway, we created a way to locate you and I was sent over to bring you back."

If anything, the Bruces faces got darker.

"Seriously?" this world's Jason questioned loudly and in annoyance. "We spend all day working on this problem and you decide to turn up when they're almost finished?"

"We're about an hour from finishing," Barbara informed him. Although, he wasn't wrong. Considering the total amount of time they had spent on this project, it was almost finished.

 _The other world's Jason_ shrugged in a 'just get us home' kind of way when  _his brothers_ looked to see how he felt about this. Also, it was nice seeing  _his Bruce_ get one-upped.

"It wasn't exactly your work," this world's Dick Grayson felt obligated to point out to his Jason.

"Doesn't change the fact that I had to hang out with a bitter version of me."

Now  _the Jason of the other world_ was annoyed.

"Bitter?" he repeated indignantly. "Hey,  _I_ died! You try dying, being replaced and having no one come for you!"

"Hey, I got beaten close to death, you don't see me being fixated on it! Besides, Bruce was moments away in my world!"

 _The other world's Bruce_ looked away, a pained expression on his face as he remembered the time he had been just a few moments too late and it cost him his second son.

"Okay, we're all hurt by the 'what ifs' and this wasn't fun," this world's Tim said, "but, there's no reason to get mad now that it's almost over."

"Yeah?"  _the other world's Jason_ snorted. "What wasn't fun for you, Timmy? Because it's not like you died or anything."

Both Tims looked away.

 _The other world's Tim_  was seeing a world where Jason didn't die, yet he was still a part of the family. This world's Tim had been able to carve his own place in the family, not bend and twist in order to fill a tragically empty position. This world's Tim was friendlier, more connected to Gotham where his family lived.  _The other world's Tim_ could take or leave Gotham. He just wanted to help and his life revolved around that.

This world's Tim had seen the way  _his alternate_ and  _the alternate Dick Grayson_ had hung out.  _His alternate_ was remembered and treated like a little brother. This world's Tim had seen the smiles and hair ruffling and things he never got to do with this world's Dick Grayson.

Even now,  _the other world's Dick Grayson_ was jumping to the defence of his brother.

"Hey, Jason, calm down. Let's just go home."

No one knew what it was. Maybe it was the memory-less Dick Grayson, a look into what would have happened to the Golden Boy if Jason had lived. Maybe it was Jason's double, stepping forward to defend his family if need be.

Whatever it was,  _the alternate Jason Todd_ took a deep breath and forced himself to lock the anger away until later. Something he had been doing since he first learnt of his survival in this universe.

"Fine," he hissed. He turned to his double and added, "sorry. I can't wait to go back and take my frustrations out on some dealers."

"You can't even rest for a night, can you?"  _the alternate Tim_ sighed.

"Pot, kettle,"  _the alternate Dick Grayson_ pointed out. Both of  _his brothers_  glared at him.

One Superman was glad his world's Bat family got along so well, even with the few years Dick had been missing.

 _The other Superman_ was happy to see  _his world's Bat family_ so lively. They had many tough years and deserved time together without criminals and world domination plots.

"Alright, time to go home!"  _the alternate Superman_ announced happily.

 _The alternate Bruce_ grumbled something under his breath about meddling aliens, which the Supermen could just hear.

A moment later, there was a bright light and  _the alternates_ were gone.

"Thank goodness," Dick sighed happily.

"Aright! Head count!" Jason announced. "Is everyone in the universe they're supposed to be?"

"Duh," Damian responded sourly.

"Dork," Barbara said fondly.

"Took the words right out of my mouth," Dick said to her with an infatuated grin.

"Hhn, we should probably talk about the status of your relationship," Bruce said to Dick and Barbara.

"You know what, I'm going see if Steph and Cass have finished," Tim said, pointing back towards the exit. "And, you know, be anywhere but here."


	28. Balloons on Nails to growing Bean Stalks

**Balloons on Nails to growing Bean Stalks**

* * *

**Varnish**  (CaraLee)

"Okay, that sinks," Jason relented. He stood up and was about to walk into the next room and tell the girls to move it so they could breathe when an iron grip grabbed his arm. He looked down the hand attached to his to Dick's earnest and serious blue eyes.

"That's a bad idea, Jaybird," Dick warned.

Jason just stared back blandly.

"The womenfolk are varnishing their nails," Damian pointed out. He smiled an evil smile. "And the last one to interrupt them ended up with yellows and purple splotches all over his fingers."

"They were supposed to be eggplants," Tim sighed with a flaming face. He had been the one to tell the girls to pack up their smelly nail polish and move. They hadn't listened and instead Cass had knocked him out, tied him to a chair and Steph had practised on him, explaining every little detail when he woke. His nails had been yellow with badly done purple eggplants over them for a week.

"Yeah, well, it stinks," Jason grumbled. "And you all are cowards."

"He's not really going to..." Tim let the end of his sentence hang in the air as he shared a look with Dick.

"I think he is," Dick responded.

"Go Todd," Damian stated with a grin like a shark. It seemed he was looking forward to seeing Jason get his butt kicked.

The three spectators gathered on the couch, looking over the back with eager faces.

Jason glared back at them and huffed.

"Cowards," he grumbled again before resuming his trot towards the girls.

Inside the room, he found Cass, Steph, Babs and Dinah.

What was the Black Canary doing here?

"I was invited for a girl's night," Dinah responded.

Jason bit back his first response to that, which was that she was married so why was she spending her time hanging around with two teenagers and a twenty-something (you don't ask a lady her age).

"Age is just a number," Cass said and Jason wondered where she had heard that.

"Did he just imply something about our ages?" Dinah questioned, an edge of anger to her voice.

Cass nodded and Jason wondered just exactly what in his body language gave that away.

"He looked at you then Steph, then me and finally Babs. Starting with the eldest and then bouncing from the youngest up."

"How do you know I wasn't looking at skill?" Jason countered before he could think. Cass gave him a blank look in response, helping him to remember that she out-classed all of them.

"He also made 'the face'," Cass pointed out.

"The face?" Jason and Steph questioned as one. Jason in disbelief and Steph in interest.

"The face he makes whenever someone's age comes up. He does it a lot around birthdays."

Steph's face lit up in inspiration.

"Jason, I just had the perfect idea," she said. "Take a seat and let us beauty experts work you over."

Jason's heart plummeted in fear. This was exactly not what he wanted to happen.

"You can't mess with perfection," he told them, backing away.

Suddenly, Cass was there.

"Sit." There weren't many people who could tell Cass 'no' and, while Jason will attest to being one of them, it just wasn't worth it in this case.

So he would get his nails painted, he could live with that. Not being allowed on patrol because his sister beat him up, he could not live with.

The girls painted his nails in bright pinks and blues. Then red, yellow and green balloons were painted onto his nails.

"Huh. Not bad," he decreed when they were done. They had certainly improved since the time they cornered Tim.

* * *

 **Boxing**  (CaraLee)

"Yeah! Knock 'im out!" Babs cheered as the two boxers pounded on each other in the ring. Dick wasn't a fan of the sport, not like Babs was. He ended up watching her more than the game. She was so energetic.

"Hey, Loverboy," Jason said from the next seat over. "Stop staring at your girlfriend. No one should have such a love-sick smile during a match."

In the next two seats over, Tim and Damian sat. Tim was trying to explain the sport to Damian while Damian didn't understand why it wasn't a fight to the death.

It would have been a great date, if the others weren't here. At least it was still a good date.

* * *

 **Graph** (CaraLee)

Jason took one look at his desk before storming out of the room. He went one floor down and found the employees on their break.

"Who thought this was smart?" he growled, ignoring the way a few of the weaker souls cowed at his presence. "I leave my office for a few moments and return to find the very reports I've been looking for sitting on my desk. The very reports which should have been submitted a week ago!" He flicked quickly through the report and his eyes narrowed as he spotted on particular graph. The employees gathered swallowed. He held it up and then slammed it onto the nearest table. "This is shoddy work and I have half a mind to send the person who wrote it back to college!"

"You won't," one of the bolder employees commented as she walked in. She glared at him and he smirked back.

"I might," he responded. "But I'm going to give whomever it was a chance." He pointed to the report. "When I leave, take it back and rework it. I want a revised edition by the end of the week. Otherwise, you'll find yourself part-time here and back in college full-time."

"All paid for by the Wayne family, right?" the same employee commented with an innocent smile Jason knew to be anything but.

"Of course," he growled. It was not the first time this had happened. During the time Bruce had been 'away', Jason had actually sent an employee back to college on the company's dime. They came back enthusiastic and ready to work, partially because they were offered a raise if their work showed improvement. The raise part was explained as fitting their qualifications. To Jason's relief, their work had improved and he no longer had to spend his time fixing their mistakes.

If Wayne Enterprises had an increase of employees taking advantage of the grant offered to those who return to study, then all the better. Education was important, although he refused to cut any hours just because they needed to study. He could do work and college so why couldn't they?

* * *

 **Beans** (CaraLee)

Dick put the book on the table.

"I don't think this was one of my favourites," he commented.

"Cinderella was your favourite," Jason said without looking up from the book he was reading. It was poetry or something, Dick didn't really care as it looked boring.

"Cinderella?" The expression was wiped from Dick's face as he tried to recall the story. As the story came back to him, his smile returned. "Oh yeah. Magic, true love and lost shoes. Plus bonus wicked stepsisters. I do like that story."

"The beans came from someone like Poison Ivy," Cass said. She had been listening to him read the story, 'Jack and the Beanstalk'.

"Someone like Poison Ivy?" Dick questioned. Cass pointed to the picture of Jack selling the family cow for beans.

"Someone who makes big, mean plants."

"I don't think the vine was mean, Cass. It was just a bridge between Jack's land and the Giant's."

"It still grew too big. Ivy big. Or do beans grow that big?"

Dick thought about it. And thought about it.

"No, they do not," Jason sighed. His siblings were crazy sometimes. Who would debate the origins of beans in a fairy tale?


	29. Rumours and Gossip

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's almost that time again! NaNoWriMo! That wonderful (horrible) time of year when people from across the world try to write 50,000 words in a single month.  
> If you didn't already know, I make it a resolution to attempt it every year (this year is going to be brutal). So, that means updates are going to slow down for the month of November while I have a go at writing my own works.

**Rumours and Gossip**

* * *

**Newspaper** (CaraLee)

It was spread across the cover of the newspaper. Dick in the arms of his sister and her friend, being carried out of the latest Wayne function.

Dick's hands trembled as he read the article. Bruce went on record as saying it was nothing important but everyone was making theories, most of them linking it to his memory loss.

"They looked into my reports from the hospital," Dick shuddered as he read. What about patient/doctor confidentiality? They were saying he had a fit and collapsed because of complications with his brain. It was all lies. Stories the papers made up because Bruce was keeping the real story under wraps for now.

The paper was pulled from his hands and folded before his eyes.

"I've found it best if one does not read the paper after events such as last night's," Alfred said.

Dick slouched in shame. Steph and Cass had to leave everyone else in order to bring him back. Bruce had insisted on testing him for everything after he collapsed at the party.

"Where's Jason?" Dick asked. He recalled slurring out those words the previous night.

_'Jas- Ja- Jay! W're's Jassson?'_

He shivered. How had last night happened?

"Jason is alright," Bruce announced from the door. Dick quickly stood but had to pause as his vision blurred.

"Jas-," he mumbled. Then he tried to focus through the memories of the previous night, beyond being carried out. Biting the inside of his lip, he gathered the energy and courage to ask, "what happened?"

He had never been more terrified, despite the calm floppiness of his body. Losing control like that, it shouldn't have happened.

"There was a drug. You both have a needle mark on your neck." Dick's hand flew to his neck, pressing against the sensitive skin.

"We were attacked," he recalled. He had been chatting to Jason just outside the door to the main hall, where the party was taking place. Then some men surrounded him and there was a gun pointed at his head.

It distracted him for a moment. A moment where something sharp had punctured his skin.

"Jason was their target. The Wayne heir. They thought to hold him hostage. You were a bonus. The drugs still in your systems were to keep you unconscious and pliant."

"Pliant?" Dick questioned. His head grew foggy as he wondered how he came to be downstairs. He didn't remember coming down here.

He recalled going up.

"-keep you unable to-" Dick's eyelids felt heavy. Hands gripped his arms. "Dick!"

Did pliant mean the sleepiness? The weakness he felt in his bones? It seemed to come and go quickly.

"Where's Jason?" he questioned, the words tumbling automatically from his lips before his eyes closed and he slumped against Bruce.

Bruce sighed. Jason was in the cave, where Dick should have been. Somehow Dick kept waking long enough to escape and then wander the manor.

"He seemed lucid enough," Alfred commented sadly. "If I may make a suggestion, keep the boys together. Preferably before Master Jason awakes and pulls his own disappearing act."

Bruce nodded and heaved Dick over his shoulder. He thanked every deity he knew that Cass had been watching her brothers the previous night. She had seen the trouble and took the men out quickly.  
Unfortunately, not quick enough. Both Jason and Dick had already been drugged unconscious.

Bruce pulled a cot into the medical room Jason was occupying in the cave and brought Dick in. As he placed him on the cot, Jason's eyes partially opened.

"Dick's okay," Jason mumbled. "Bruce. Where's Tim?"

"He's fine," Bruce reassured him. "Only you two were targeted."

"Ugh, worst part of being a Wayne," Jason grumbled rolling in the bed weakly. "Hate being kidnapped."

"At least they didn't get you out of the building," Bruce reassured him.

Jason just gave a small huff and closed his eyes to sleep off the rest of the drug.

* * *

**Economy** (CaraLee)

If he could choose, Alfred would take Tim with him shopping. Shopping was supposed to be a quiet time to replenish the manor's provisions. While he often enjoyed Miss Stephanie's energy, it was too much for shopping. Miss Cassandra would start out trying to read everything until she had a headache. He didn't like seeing her do that to herself so he left her at home.

Dick looked over everything. No matter how many times he came, everything just seemed so new to him. He wanted to try it all and the household budget did not allow for that kind of indulgence, despite what people may believe. Jason would switch out finer quality goods for their economy option wherever possible. Alfred did not like getting to the register to find that half of his trolley had been switched out.

Tim was quiet. He did not add or change the objects in the trolley. He was just tall enough to reach things when requested and did not complain about it; Damian was too short to be of use but Alfred wasn't going to tell the boy that, no matter how much Damian would grumble when asked to get something. Tim just pushed the trolley and listened to Alfred's requests.

Alfred preference was to do the shopping alone however, if he had to choose and could choose, he would take Tim with him.

* * *

**Conference** (CaraLee)

On one side of the table sat Roy Harper and Kori'ander. On the other side sat Jason Todd and Dick Grayson.

"This is weird," Roy opened with. Dick raised an eyebrow. "Well, I mean, you and Kori were an item for so long and yet you're comfortable sitting across from each other?"

Dick read too much into Roy's words and immediately started feeling guilty.

"I did not mean to make you uncomfortable," he said to Kori.

"I am not uncomfortable," she responded, holding her head high. "I came for the stories of your loving exploits after our parting."

"Is that a Tamaranian thing?" Jason questioned.

"No. It is a good friend thing," Kori responded. "I wish to know that the woman who currently holds Dick's heart will take care of it. Human hearts are almost as fragile as Tamaranian ones."

"Ah, you heard about Barbara," Jason realised with a smirk. "It's true, Dick and she have a thing."

"It's not a 'thing'," Dick countered, "we're dating."

Jason gasped, "so open about it!"

"Why is that surprising?" Kori questioned. Dick had been upfront in telling people when she and he started dating. That was before his accident though.

"They dated in secret," Jason said in a hushed voice, leaning across the table like he was telling some great secret.

"Jason," Dick groaned flopping his head to the table in annoyance.

"Is a lie? It was not. So you cannot complain," Jason half-sung as he seated himself back down.

"Sometimes, Jaybird, you're embarrassing," Roy sighed.

"This from a guy who's cornered me in the shower with a flamethrower."

"For science!" Roy quickly pointed out.

"In the shower Roy?" Dick questioned in disgust. "There are better places to corner someone. For Jay, try when he's watching TV."

"Alright, back to Dick and Babs," Jason said.

"We don't always have to discuss my love life," Dick pointed out.

"That's because you've had a lack of one until Barbara," Roy pointed out. "You know, that you can remember," he quickly added with a glance in Kori's direction. Dick's face went slightly pink.

"Actually," he slowly said. "There was a girl in Bludhaven."

"Oh! Do tell!" Kori insisted cheerfully.

"We met in the bar I started out working in. You know, before joining the force. She was nice and everything…"

"Until?" Jason prodded, catching the way the end of the sentence hung. Like there was something Dick didn't want to tell them.

"Until we broke up."

"Dick," Jason said in a warning tone.

Kori's lips pouted into a frown and Dick sighed.

"We were… we were going to get intimate one night." Dick wiggled in his chair and fidgeted as he spoke. "I… uh… I just felt guilty. Seeing her with her clothes off made me feel like I was doing something which would hurt someone. And then when I went to touch, the feeling was so strong that I had to stop." Dick looked and judged their expressions. He didn't find pity, just sadness, anger and even a bit of joy. "She wasn't happy about that."

"I guess losing your memories doesn't make you as free as people seem to think," Roy mused.

Jason gave him a baffled look.

"Of course. Look at the line of work we're in. Losing our memories would be a troublesome thing. It'd catch up with us and we wouldn't have any way to defend ourselves."

"He is correct," Kori said to Roy.

"Take it from me, it sucks," Dick added.

Roy slouched in his seat. He knew that, _duh_! He just didn't think before he spoke.


	30. Everyday Things

**Everyday Things**

* * *

**Electronics** (CaraLee)

Tim pressed his face to the window, staring at the latest model of smartphone.

"Hey, ever wonder what it's like to buy these things on the days they come out?" he asked his brothers, sister and Steph. "Like, camping out for days and then spending the money for the product while knowing that hundreds of others are doing the same thing that day. And then you'd go online and talk about how awesome it is."

"Weirdo," Damian grumbled. He tugged on Dick's sleeve. "Come Grayson, I'm hungry."

"Okay, okay," Dick hummed as he followed Damian towards the food court.

"Sorry kiddo, I don't really care," Jason shrugged.

"Don't you get these things months before they come out anyway?" Steph grumbled. "Why line up for them?"

"What's the matter? Sad a rich guy with issues didn't adopt you?" Jason quipped.

"Yeah, would have been nice," Steph responded.

"Didn't Cass give you her advance model anyway?" Tim questioned innocently. Steph pulled the phone out of her pocket. It was indeed the one Cass had been given.

"I need the dick-tay-shon thing," Cass responded, holding her phone close. Her phone was able to type messages when she spoke to it and it could read things out to her when she tapped them. Bruce and Tim had developed the phone and software together.

Steph nodded and hugged Cass around the shoulders.

"Alright, where to next?" she asked.

While they walked towards their next location, Jason matched his stride to Tim's downcast steps.

"If you really want to go to one of those opening things, get Kon to take you," he suggested, "and please, don't go to one in Gotham. Last event ended up being crashed by Mad Hatter. I'm not fighting a mind controlled Kryptonian."

Tim's mouth curled downwards as he tried to imagine a battle between Jason and Kon and failed. Tim would place his money on Jason, if only because all those trained by Batman carried Kryptonite. Except Dick. He thinks.

* * *

 **Waking** (CaraLee)

Jason rolled over and immediately winced at a twinge of pain. He lay still and hoped it would go away so he could get a few more minutes of sleep but his leg twitched and pain stabbed at the side of his scars.

He sighed and slowly moved his body to sit up. He needed to move slow and not only because his body was stiff but because some of his scars also seemed to be sore.

It was going to be one of those days.

Jason reached for his phone and dialled Alfred. He hated having to do this but, the last time he stiffened up and stumbled around to find Alfred, he had almost fallen down the stairs. Alfred insisted that next time, he call.

Jason promised and he would never betray Alfred's trust, no matter how much he hated having to use his phone to call someone who was in the same house as him.

Alfred walked in with his sleeves rolled up and a jar of balm ready to spread on the sore places.

"Where are we stiff today, Master Jason?" he asked.

Jason indicated the places giving him problems and lay back for Alfred to give him a good massage.

"I hate this," he grumbled.

"The price of what you do," Alfred reminded him.

"The price of being blown up and surviving," Jason grumbled back.

When he replied, Alfred's tone was satirical.

"You would prefer to have died?"

Jason thought of the  _other world Jason_  and his almost scar-free body. He bet that Jason didn't have to get massages every other day because he couldn't get out of bed.

"This still sucks," he grumbled.

* * *

 **Swaddled**  (yangires)

There were villains like this too, Dick realised. He was stunned and shocked and a whole mess of other emotions.

"Robin, I'm seeing this right, right?" he asked, looking away from the spectacle and down at his little partner.

"Drake and his group of misfits seem to have uncovered a new criminal 'mastermind'," Robin spat the word. "Even their opponents are pathetic."

Batman snickered.

"What?" Robin demanded to know.

"'Uncovered'," Batman repeated. "I guess we should go 'uncover' the Teen Titans." Because they were currently covered in blankets. Swaddled and unable to fight back as 'the Rug Ruler', or so he was calling himself, helped himself to whatever he wanted.

Needless to say, Red Robin was not impressed to have Batman and Robin swing in to rescue him. He had called Nightwing but he guessed that Jason had been busy or something.

It had better have been important. Damian had snickered at them. Kon had commented that he didn't even know the kid could make a sound similar to a laugh.

* * *

 **Oligarchy**  (yangires)

_Definition: a small group of people having control of a country or organisation_

Dick was wondered if any of them realised.

"So, the Mayor's supposedly paying criminals to not attack," Jason commented over the dinner table. "Spotted him making a pay-off while I was on stakeout."

"It is election year," Tim sighed as he tapped away on his tablet. His food was slowly cooling in front of him. "Also, the current mayor's been dealing under the table as well. He's acquired a gambling addiction."

"I'll talk to his opponent tomorrow," Bruce said when both of his boys turned to look at him. "If I support his opponent, he'll probably lose."

Dick thought he would definitely lose.

"Good. Has anyone decided what to do with that building which burned down in East Park Side?" Jason asked.

"Was it near the park?" Tim questioned.

"No, the docks."

"Why not put in a respectable bar or something?" Tim suggested. "It'll keep the sailors off the streets and provide a place to gather gossip."

"Gotham doesn't need more bars, Tim," Bruce responded. "A children's hospital maybe?"

"You opened one of those last week," Tim reminded him.

Damian sighed and knocked a pea around his plate with his fork while he rested his head on his hand.

"A school?" Jason suggested.

"We'd need people to run it," Bruce reminded him.

"Gotham's newest school opened last year. It's too soon to open a new one, we risk spreading resources too thin. Give it five more years before building a new school." Tim tapped away on his tablet and mused, "although, now's certainly the best time to start putting the plans in place so we can build in five years."

"Do so," Bruce responded.

"What about a museum?" Jason suggested with a wide grin. He liked the idea of a new museum.

Tim and Bruce thought about that for a moment.

"Sounds like a good idea," Bruce decreed.

"I could get some plans ready for your critique in two hours," Tim said.

"Don't overwork yourself," Jason responded. "It can wait until tomorrow."

"Grayson, can I be excused?" Damian asked. His plate was clean except for one pea.

Dick nodded and commented that he would go with his little brother. Before leaving the room, he looked back at the other three still sitting at the table.

He wondered how they didn't realise that they practically ran Gotham.

* * *

 **Grapheme**  (yangires)

"Ow!" Jason cried as he stumbled into a large tub of water, splashing the hems of his pants. He had not been expecting to see a tub of water in the middle of the driveway.

"-tt- Watch it, Todd!" Damian clicked as he walked over with Titus the dog trotting behind him.

"What is this?" Jason asked, pointing to the water. Now that he looked carefully at him, he could see the tint of white which suggested there was some kind of soap mix into it.

"I'm giving Titus a bath, duh," Damian responded in a 'you ought to know' tone of voice. Titus barked and happily wagged his tail.

Jason eyed the large dog and the tub of water.

"Yeah, I'm going," he decided. He knew how this would end. Water everywhere. As he walked away, he heard a splash and a surprised cry from Damian.

The kid would probably be soaked. As he ended up every time he did this.


	31. Tick-Tock

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nanowrimo is really cutting into my fanfiction writing time... I feel like there might be mistakes in this one. Also, it seems Wayne's boys (and girl) are more recognisable in this universe...

**Tick-Tock**

* * *

**Tick-tock**  (KodiakWolfe13)

Dick stepped into the Bludhaven police station. He stood there for a moment, feeling a lot like an outsider. It hurt more than he thought to come back here and see the only faces he had known for a chunk of his life again. He felt like he had abandoned them.

"Dick!" it was one of the other rookies who noticed him first. Someone he had trained with.

"Hi," he said with a smile. "How have you been?"

"Got a promotion." No longer a rookie then. "How have you been? You left quickly."

"Yeah," Dick sighed.

"Oh, sorry. Forgot why you left."

Dick laughed. It wasn't like he was going to hang around when half the force was probably out to kill him or pass him over to people who would. At least those members of the force had been forced out.

"No hard feelings then?"

"None at all," he responded honestly. "Where's Amy?"

"I'll go get her!"

Dick waited, feeling a flutter of nerves in his gut. Other officers came to chat with him, some looking to apologise for the way he had left, some wanting to hear how he had been doing and some just looking to chat.

"Grayson!" Amy barked when she arrived. "Never thought I'd see your sorry face again!"

"Hello, Amy," Dick responded with a bow and a smirk.

"I see they've been pounding the manners into you up in Gotham," Amy commented. "Let's talk about it."

He followed her to somewhere more private. As he expected, the first question out of her mouth was when he was coming back.

"I… don't know," he responded quietly. "My face has been spread all over Gotham in connection with Bruce Wayne. He doesn't think it's safe for me to resume working here."

"I read that article," Amy said. She actually sounded angry. "I'd like to know where they found the dealers for whatever they're smokin' because it must be the expensive and illegal stuff."

Dick laughed.

"Don't laugh about it," she responded, slapping his arm. "There was information in that article which should never have been published and you know it."

"I do," Dick responded, "but I've been told it helps to have a sense of humour about these things." And that anyone worth his time wouldn't pay attention to what the article said. Amy was case in point.

"So, what happened? The article wasn't very informative."

"Kidnapping attempt," Dick explained. "And it made me realise something. Amy, I would like access to my psych files."

Amy pressed her lips together. While not an unreasonable request, there were complications.

Like, "if I give them to you, you won't be able to work here until another file is compiled. You know the deal."

"I do," Dick responded. Every officer was assessed psychologically as well as physically. They didn't want officers who would break down in the middle of their shifts or times of crisis. "But I can't risk the reporters getting their hands on them. They're more comprehensive than the ones from the hospital."

"You mean you were more honest," Amy corrected. A moment later, she added, "fine. When you left, I shuffled the files around so you wouldn't be so easy to find."

"What?" Dick questioned. Why would she do that?

Amy didn't respond.

* * *

They entered the 'crazy room'. There were stories around the station that it could drive a person mad. Filing cabinets lined the walls and the middle of the room was only adorned with a table and two chairs.

It was so silent the 'tick tock' of the clock on the wall could be heard.

"Hate this place," Dick muttered. It was too quiet for his taste.

"Don't we all," Amy commented. "I've put in a request for psychological assessments to take place elsewhere and I've got the resident psychologist backing me up. This one doesn't have to worry about losing her job as she's certain she knows the right people."

"That's Bludhaven for you," Dick sighed.

Amy whacked him in the arm.

"Yeah, well, we choose to live here for a reason," she reminded him.

"I just prefer the reasons which don't involve making a lot of money off being corrupt and hunting down innocent cops."

"We both know you weren't innocent," Amy responded. "How's the Red Hood?"

Dick held back his reaction to the name. He had actually forgotten about that.

"I have no idea," he responded flatly. "The Red Hood is a murderer and I don't associate with murders."

Amy gave a thoughtful hum.

"Yeah, 'murderer'. Somehow, I don't quite believe that. These are just the ramblings of an overworked police woman who doesn't quite know what she's saying but, anyone can put on a mask and claim to be someone else, can't they? I mean, Nightwing's back after a long time with a new look but who knows if it's really the same person."

Dick had also forgotten how perceptive Amy could be.

"I don't know what you're mixed up in, Grayson but be careful."

Dick nodded in response, although he didn't think he was currently mixed up in anything. He wondered if one of his brothers was stirring something up that had Amy on edge.

A new rookie, someone Dick didn't know, poked their head through the door, looking for Amy.

"There's a Wayne boy outside," he said, sounding nervous.

"A what?" Dick questioned while Amy let out a tired grumble.

"Keep them busy. Just remember that the Wayne family provided us with new supplies when Bludhaven merged with Gotham and we might need their support in the future. I'll be out in a moment."

The rookie nodded but looked sick at the idea of confronting a member of the famed Gotham family.

"Let's get your files quickly so I can go deal with whatever the spoiled rich kid wants."

Dick smiled as he pulled out his files and slipped them into his bag. It was interesting to see the effect a Wayne visit had on people.

Although he did wonder which brother had followed him here. He followed Amy out, close enough to hear the rookie whisper, "there's more of them," to her as she entered the main room.

Jason was standing around, tapping his foot on the ground and looking like a businessman on break. Tim was wandering around, looking at and touching everything.

"Alright, boys!" she barked. "What'd'ya want? You're making my officers jumpy."

Dick was impressed. Amy didn't run the place but she certainly sounded like she did.

"Just waiting for someone, like I told your officers," Jason responded. He looked over her shoulder and his lips twitched up at the sight of Dick behind her. "Hey, Dick. You didn't leave a note."

"And yet you still found me," Dick responded, mirroring Jason's expression. "Can't get a moment of peace, can I?"

"We already lost you once," Tim quietly added his two cents. Dick could see it as the gathered officers put all the pieces together, linking Dick to the missing Dick Grayson who was Bruce Wayne's ward. It probably didn't help that he had been in the paper just a few days earlier and just proved the point he had made to Amy earlier.

"Okay," he responded. "I'm really worried about what'll happen if I ever move out again. You can't follow me everywhere, you know?"

"Hmm, I think we can," Jason responded, like the smug man he was. He did have a past success to back him up.

Dick's head dropped a bit to hide his smile. It was nice to be wanted.

"And it's not like you'll be able to be a police officer with your connection to Bruce," Tim pointed out. "Everyone knows your face as the 'lost Wayne heir'."

"They have a point," Amy said, "however it's not like we don't have a use for you." She shot a smirk at the brothers.

"Are you trying to recruit  _our Grayson_?"

Dick's heart sunk as he realised they brought Damian. This situation was about to turn into a confrontation. 

"Look kid, Dick is welcome here anytime he wants his job back," Amy responded. Dick gave her a shocked, warning look as he didn't want to have to hold Damian back from attacking a police officer. "Go with your brothers, Dick," she said to him, placing a hand on his shoulders. "And don't be a stranger."


	32. Acts and Acting

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Notes: NaNoWriMo means that this story is a bit of a rush job so there might be errors or things not completely working together.

 

**Acts and Acting**

* * *

**Superbia**  (yangires)

_Definition: pride_

"Do you really believe you can control everything that goes on in this house?" Jason demanded to know.

"I believe I can control this," Bruce responded. "You're benched until this is over. I won't risk you out there."

"But you'll risk Tim and Damian?" Jason demanded to know. The Joker had recently revealed to 'Batman' that he had masqueraded as the Red Hood 'one last time' in order to destroy 'the imposter's' reputation as a crime fighter.

Jason finally knew who had orchestrated his fall as Red Hood. There was no way he wasn't going to be out there tonight. As Nightwing, he would avenge Red Hood.

"What about Dick? The Joker's beef is with you and me, not him and Damian."

"And it's better that neither of us meet the Joker."

Jason growled.

"Fine." He was going out anyway. Let Bruce think he had rolled over and agreed. It would just make his escape much easier.

* * *

"Master Bruce, it appears Master Jason has… left."

"Inform Dick."

"A question sir, how could you not predict this?"

"I thought… I don't know, Alfred. I thought Jason might think about protecting himself for once."

"Might I say sir, none of you boys are particularly good at that."

"Father. I can't find Grayson!"

"Red Robin here as well, Bruce. Batman's vanished and his radio is off."

* * *

Jason's leg screamed. The dark and red of the Nightwing suit hid the blood he could feel pouring out of his body.

"So we meet again, little bird~" Joker said in a sing-song tone. Jason hissed out breath and tried to move but, it seemed his arm was useless as well. He was on the ground, looking up at a painted face and crowbar.

He settled for slurring out cuss words, telling Joker where to shove his crowbar.

"HahahaHahaHahAhaha. Yes, a mask changes nothing. I know it's you under there, Hood! Did you ever find out what happened to the first little bird?"

"He did," a voice growled from behind them.

One moment, the Joker was above Jason and, the next, he was gone. Shoved out of the way by a dark shadow of vengeance.

Jason rolled onto his belly, ignoring the screams of pain from his gut and the uncomfortable position of his arm.

"Ba-" he tried to say, shocked by the scene unfolding before him.

"Leave HIM alone!" Batman roared as he beat the Joker.

"B-Batman!" Jason tried to get his attention but failed. He hacked and tried again. "Oi! Deadbeat Nightwing!"

Batman twitched and the Joker fell the ground unconscious. Jason hadn't even known it was possible to knock the monster out.

"Are you okay?" Batman asked, rushing over to check his injuries. "What were you thinking?"

"I was thinking about putting the Joker in prison," Jason countered. He would have been annoyed by the mother hen attitude but it was better than when Dick had been beating the Joker to a pulp. There was still blood on the knuckles of the gloves touching him. "Let's just go."

Dick nodded and smiled in relief. Jason knocked him with his good arm.

"Batman doesn't smile, Dickie."

* * *

 **Radio**  (KodiakWolfe13)

When Damian and Tim greeted Dick and Jason with a radio in their hands, Dick had a feeling they were in trouble.

"What were you thinking?" Tim demanded to know. Jason shielded himself with his broken arm, wincing as the sling moved wrong.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Dick said. Jason gave him a shocked look. Dick sounded so honest and he would have believed him, if he hadn't been there.

"Oh really?" Tim questioned, completely unconvinced.

"Really."

"And I guess the radio news is making it up when they say the Joker is in police custody, severely injured and that Batman did it?"

"What are you talking about, Drake? Of course Batman did it," Damian said in a confused and irritated tone.

Tim sighed and gave the kid an annoyed look. Jason barked a laugh.

"Fine," Dick huffed. "I beat the Joker up. He was beating Jason with a crowbar and I saw red. Can we not talk about it?"

"A crowbar?" Tim gasped, eyes wide.

"Wow. Pathetic, Todd," Damian commented.

"Hey, I only ended up with a broken arm and a fractured rib and… well a few other things," Jason commented cheerfully, ignoring the itch under the cast on his leg. He already knew that was going to drive him crazier than the hobbling around. "Much better than last time."

Tim sighed and Jason's nonchalant reference to getting beaten within an inch of death.

"Only you," he commented.

* * *

 **Dial**  (KodiakWolfe13)

"One of you pick up!" Damian growled as the phone dialled for the third time. He had tried Grayson. He had tried Todd. Now he was trying the bottom of his list; Drake. "Ugh!" he spat in frustration as no one picked up.

Robin had been attacked during patrol, separated from Batman and knocked unconscious.

"I'm sure they're busy, probably looking for you," the woman who had dragged him to her home said.

"They wouldn't have to, if you had not kidnapped me, woman!" Damian ducked as a pen was flicked his way.

"Carrie," she enunciated. "Use my name, Robin." She had actually brought him in and tended his injuries when she found him unconscious in an alley.

"I have no reason to," Damian responded, trying Grayson again.

"Have you tried your parents?" Carrie asked.

"-tt- My mother has replaced me and my father is currently of no use." Bruce had left town for the weekend to visit Metropolis and that alien, Kent, for some reason.

"Isn't your father Batman?"

"No! Well, he was, which is why I will be Batman one day but, he's not anymore. Now that insufferable fool is." The insufferable fool didn't pick up and Damian was growing more frustrated.

Carrie made an interested noise.

* * *

"Pick me up, you fool!" Tim thought the message, which concluded with an address, was very Damian. He ended up at a rather nice but cheap Gotham apartment building. He rang the doorbell.

"Hello?" a woman with short red hair and glasses opened the door. Tim, outfitted as Red Robin, expected some kind of horror, surprise or interest. Instead the woman took one look at him before calling inside for 'Robin'.

Damian came walking out like he owned the place and glared at Tim as he passed by.

"Took your sweet time getting here, Drake."

"Be glad I even turned up, Brat."

"Take care on your ride home, Robin!" the woman called back.

"-tt- I will return at a later date for those movies you promised, Miss Kelly," Damian responded. It was almost polite and if it had been any other kid, Tim wouldn't have batted an eye.

But this was Damian. Damian was never that polite.

"Wha? Bah? Explain?" Tim said to them both.

"Oh, Robin's an interesting kid," Carrie responded, smiling at Damian. Damian smiled back, as if they were sharing a joke.

Carrie had bribed Damian with movies and games, the games she beat him at causing the kid to give her a bit of begrudging respect. But, what Tim didn't realise was that they had rehearsed this scene.

It was an act. One which if Damian been able to pull off, he would enrol in her acting school. Damian couldn't back down from a challenge.

* * *

 **Antiseptic**  (KodiakWolfe13)

It was a smell Jason and Dick hated. Sharp and strong. It made most people dizzy but Jason couldn't help sneering at the scent, baring his teeth. Dick tended to pale to the point where people thought he was sick as well as going still.

So, when Tim decided to start spraying the scent all over his room, they were understandably upset.

"No more going into my room," Tim informed them while they tried to figure out what they had done to make him so mad.

"But Tim-"

"I am reluctant to ask however, I find that times are desperate. May I borrow that?" Damian asked, pointing to the device filling Tim's room with the hated scent.

"Damian!" Dick gasped in horror.

"Great," Jason sighed, slapping a hand to his face. "I swear, whatever it is, it was totally Dick's fault."

"So it's Grayson's fault that my red oriental tea set is not in its box?" Damian asked sceptically.

Jason winced. Caught. He just thought it was a shame that Damian never used such a nice set.

"This is cruel," Dick sighed, nose crinkling at the scent. It was too much for him. He had taken two steps back so far and now took a third.

"That's for sure," Jason agreed. The scent of antiseptic always reminded him of those days he spent recovering from the beating the Joker had given him.

Dick remembered confusion, not knowing where or who he was. Of pain in his head and a need to get out, but there were people who didn't let him leave the hospital until he was 'ready'.


	33. To End It:

**To End It:**

* * *

**Reverse of Sword** (Caralee – Chapter 1)

Jason had found him, found Dick, he was certain of it!  
He let himself into the apartment which belonged to Dick Grayson and waited. He didn't have to wait long. The door opened in an almost cautious manner and the cop from the other day walked in.

"What do you think you're doing?" Jason asked, confused as to why the cop was here. A quick movement and Jason was looking past the barrel of the cop's gun.

In a reflexive move, Jason brandished the knife between them.

The light of the apartment highlighted the cop's short dark hair and blue eyes.

The realisation hit Jason like the buffet of wind from landing on a train. The cop was Dick! He barely recognised him without the long hair-mullet-thing.

"Excuse me?" Dick questioned, "I'm not the vigilante who broke into a cop's apartment. What do you think you're doing?"

What? Didn't Dick recognise him? Jason knew he had grown and his outfit had changed but surely Dick's skills hadn't slipped so much that he couldn't see it was him?

Maybe… maybe Dick didn't want to know it was him. Maybe Dick didn't want anything to do with any of them and that's why he disappeared.

Dick lowered his gun. Did he recognise him now?

"Are you here to take me up on the offer of helping you find that guy you were after?"

_What._

"What?"

"You said you came here looking for someone. Did you want my help?"

Was this really Dick?

"You're Dick Grayson of the BPD, right?" While Jason was surprised to see Dick as a cop, he could make himself sound knowledgeable and maybe get Dick to tell him what was going on. "And is Dick short for something?"

Dick looked lost. That was the only way Jason could describe the expression as Dick tilted his head.

"Not that I know of. People tell me it's short for Richard but…" Dick shrugged and Jason's heart constricted.

Amnesia? Was it possible? But… Dick remembered his name. Maybe, just maybe he remembered other things too. Maybe his memory just needed a little jolt.

"You've cut your hair."

"I, what?" Dick's hand went through his hair and Jason hoped Dick was recalling something as he stepped back. "What are you talking about?"

"Dick?" Please, Dick, please. Jason silently begged as he reached for the red domino mask he was wearing. He pulled it off in one motion, heart dropping as Dick turned away.

Like he couldn't bear to look at Jason.

"What? Dick?" he gasped, hoping he hadn't somehow hurt his brother. They were brothers right? Dick had been trying to get to know him before he vanished. They went on trips together.

"I'm sorry! I'm supposed to arrest you. That's what we were told to do. But, I won't do it. And I don't want to know who you are in case they figure out that we've been talking."

Jason's eyes widened at Dick's gasped rant. That wasn't what he wanted to hear. He didn't want this!

He grabbed Dick as if the force of his grip could bring his brother's memories back.

"Oi! Look at me! Tell me if you know who I am!"

Dick rambled something about their height difference and Jason didn't have time for that nonsense. This was important!

"Focus. Do you know who I am?"

"You're the Red Hood." It was stated calmly but it felt like a physical hit.

"Dick? Tell me this is a joke." If it was a joke, he could be angry. He could punch Dick. They could get angry. Then they could forgive each other and move on.

Jason wouldn't have to lose the brother he had just been getting to know.

"Okay, you're really starting to annoy me. You come in here with a knife, ignore my offer of help and then start asking me questions?" Dick scolded, "not to mention, you've put me in danger, now that I've seen your face. I could describe you to anyone now. Even people out for your blood. Does Batman endorse that kind of rash action? Just explain what you're doing here."

It sounded so much like Dick, Jason wanted to punch something. Punch him.

"M-maybe I made a mistake," he lied, bolting for the exit. He was going to hit some criminals and then think about what to do about Dick.

* * *

 **Umbrella**  (KodiakWolfe13)

Dick woke and stared at the white ceiling. He could hear a heart monitor beeping away off to the side, the beeps growing more and more rapid.

Where was he? His body ached to move. It jolted violently with the effort.

The door slammed open and hands grabbed for him.

"No!" he bellowed. "Let me go!" The room stunk of antiseptic and why could he only recall an umbrella?

He couldn't recall anything else. The person holding him down said something about him being shot and Dick shuddered.

He curled on his side as best he could, gasping for air with tears running down his cheeks.

"No, no, no, not again, please no."

 

Dick had finally fallen back asleep. Alfred and Tim shared relieved and haunted looks.

"We won't be informing Master Bruce about this, will we, Master Tim?"

Tim got the picture. He had walked in to find Dick awake but pale and panicked with Alfred holding him down. Dick's cries as he fell asleep were broken whimpers. Tim wondered just what kind of nightmare was making Dick break down but honestly didn't want to know. He just didn't want it happening to his big brother.

"I'll go erase the security tape," he said, leaving the room.

 

"My name is Dick Grayson, I'm," Dick made a rough estimate of his age and then continued, "years old, I think." He recounted his birthday and continued, ticking off on his fingers. "I live at Wayne Manor with my family. Alfred Pennyworth, Bruce Wayne, Jason Todd, Tim Drake, Damian Wayne, Cassandra Cain and Stephanie Brown."

"I don't think Stephanie officially lives here," Tim joked and then regretted it as Dick looked horrified and heartbroken to have gotten it wrong. "It's a joke. She has a room and everything. Somehow."

"O-okay," Dick stammered, although he didn't look convinced. He then estimated the date.

Tim was hesitant to correct him but tried to explain first.

"You've been unconscious for three days," he said before telling Dick the actual date.

Dick nodded, looking at the wall instead of Tim.

"Are we done?" Tim asked. Dick nodded. "Now, why did I have to sit through this?"

"Because I needed to know if I was wrong… or… if… I forgot anything," Dick said, rolling away from Tim. "They're the answers to the questions the nurses would always ask me when I first woke up." The questions Dick had been unable to answer, aside from his name.

Tim didn't know what to say.

"Why me?" Tim asked. Everyone in the household was visiting Dick to make sure he was alright after Penguin shot him with his umbrella gun. As far as he knew, Dick hadn't done this with anyone else.

"Because I didn't want to hurt Jason or Bruce if I didn't remember, Damian's too young and I didn't want either of the girls to remind me of the nurses. Which is a stupid reason, I know."

"Not stupid." But Tim didn't like the implication that Dick didn't care if he hurt him.

"And I knew you would listen and not interrupt or ask questions until the end," Dick added with a small smile.

* * *

 **Bamboozled** (CaraLee)

"I have been…" Jason searched for an appropriate word. "Bamboozled. Thoroughly bamboozled."

Jason was doomed. Dick had abandoned him and Tim had the good sense to flee with Dick.

Three evil glares stared at him. 

"So, what shall we do with our prize?" Steph asked her co-conspirators, holding up the tub of Neapolitan ice-cream.

"Isn't it obvious, Brown?" Damian responded snidely as Cass pulled out a spoon. Jason didn't know where she had got it but it horrified him.

"You're not really going through with this? Are you?" he questioned, tugging against the restrains around his arms. He had no idea how Steph had convinced Damian to modify his chair. The moment Damian pressed a button, restraints snapped around Jason's arms.

If only he had his gloves. Then he would have a lockpick or something to get himself out.

Jason slouched as Damian and Cass both pulled out spoons. He had really been looking forward to devouring that ice cream too. Maybe he really should have thought twice before running off to fight the League of Assassins without the family backing him up. He hadn't guessed that Damian, Cass and Stephanie would take offence and punish him.

Suddenly, Dick's face dropped down, causing Jason to blink in surprise. Dick was hooked to the ceiling and stretching down to unlock Jason's restraints. The coward hadn't run away after all.

The restraints clicked open, the noise alerting the victorious.

"Grayson!" Damian gasped in a betrayed tone.

"You traitor," Stephanie added for dramatic effect.

Dick did an upside-down shrug of his shoulders before flipping to the ground.

"Jason's a big boy. He can take missions by himself," Dick explained.

"You're not mad?" Jason questioned, recalling the Joker incident that no one talked about. Dick had been furious that Jason had gone after the Joker by himself.

What made this different?

"No. Like I said, you're a big boy." Dick had a smile and said the words 'big boy' rather mockingly. He was teasing him. Joking with him. It was reminiscent of the time back when Jason was Robin and Dick was Nightwing.

"Of course," Jason responded with an equally mocking smirk. "And what about you, 'Batman'?"

"Oh, I'm totally a big boy." Dick shifted into a fighting stance. "So, should we show these children how it's done and get your ice-cream back?"

"Does anyone else notice how often fighting is used to solve problems in this house?" Tim questioned as he walked in. He went to the fridge, took out a carton of orange juice and walked back out. "Just saying," he commented before leaving for the sanctity of his room. War cries and the sounds of hits came from the room Tim left.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's all (Ending notes):
> 
> You read that right, this is the final chapter of 'One Little Change'. The idea was to end it after I used all the words people sent me. This was also a long story and I'm glad to end it here. If you want more for the end, Tim finds Bruce and they both watch the fight unfold while questioning everyone else's sanity.
> 
> I hope you have enjoyed reading this and please leave a review!
> 
> (There was more I was going to add here but I don't recall what... oh well.)


End file.
